


The Moon and Her Shadow

by NerdButton



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, F/F, Slow Burn, Star-Crossed Loves, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 60,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21597829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdButton/pseuds/NerdButton
Summary: If the two avatars were to meet and fall in love again, on Earth, then the two spirits would be allowed to be together. Until that day, they would be cursed to watch as their avatars almost touch each other's lives over and over again, forbidden to take any action that would manipulate their free will.An alternative rewrite of canon, where the sources of magic are ruled by corresponding spirits. A lot less dragons, and a whole lot more lesbianism.UPDATE: For those of you waiting for this story to start getting gay, it's starting to get gay. ;)UPDATE 31/10/20: ON HIATUS.
Relationships: Claudia/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 194
Kudos: 183





	1. The Legend of the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me after shitposting about moonshadow elves and Sokka's "the moon is a nice lady", and my brain wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote this up. Let me know if you're interested in this story and want me to keep it going.

The Moon had not known anything else other than what he had told her. Born into existence amongst the stars and by his side, she lived the first period of her life under his guiding hand and with his first words to her as a mantra to follow.

"Guide humanity in the dark where I cannot, for evil corrupts from the shadows."

The Sun spirit was the bringer of life and prosperity to Earth, and she existed solely to serve and aid him in his mission. Many a millennia was spent watching from their astral thrones, conducting their delicate dance amongst the stars and guiding their children of Earth. 

What she had originally thought to be a simple and idyllic existence serving her love towards their goal eventually grew into doubt. She had been told by him that they were the only spirits acting upon the Earth, but a handful of incidents over the years there was no humanly explanation for had made her question what she knew of her role. And who had told her of it. 

One day, when the Sun was focusing his attention elsewhere, the Moon took a physical form and travelled to the Earth. There she quickly began her search for the answers behind the questions that had consumed her thoughts for a long time. With little help to guide her and her need to keep her distance from the human population of the Earth, she considered the initial words spoken to her by her love - a warning against the evils of the shadows. 

She set off in search of the darkest area she could find in the hopes of finding something. Answers, questions, nothing - she was no longer as sure in her purpose as she had been when setting out on her search, but a light inside her continued pulling on her to look, just keep looking.

Wandering far from civilisation and into the darkest dark of the night that even the bravest entities feared to wander, she sat herself amongst the shadows and solitude, waiting. After a time had passed, and beginning to grow wary of her naive search for nothing, she speaks a single question into the air. 

"What would I even ask?"

Whispered on a wind that seemed to hang in the air surrounding the form she had taken, the dark figures creeping in her peripheral drew closer, grabbing at the clothing over her being as the emptiness clung to her and seemingly answered her question. 

Even the spirits cannot stop the passage of time, and with it the light of the sun slowly trickled over the Earth and cascaded onto the Moon spirit, prompting her to rise from the dark and prepare to return to her perch in the sky. As she was ready to shed her physical form on the Earth, the shadows themselves merged behind her and from the shapeless void uttered a quiet statement, the biting content of which was masked with the silkiness it was spoken. 

"He's lying to you."

In the time it took her to turn and try to locate the speaker, they had vanished and the presence of the Sun spirit grew ever more pressing, leaving her facing the empty air she had puzzled against all night. 

She left, but with a new purpose to return. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave the stars without alerting her love, she would have to wait until his starlit path took him to the other side of the Earth first. But eventually the weeks passed, and our Moon took up her physical form and once again travelled to Earth, and taking with her the full brunt of her curiosity. 

Upon her landing, she expected the same black nothing as had greeted her the first time. Instead, she found a young woman with her back to the Moon, sitting in the same spot she herself had sat in weeks prior. 

Giving no name, and with features both haunting and beautiful, the Moon knew this being to be not of this Earth same as she - and once again the words were spoken to life.

"He's lying to you. But you already knew that, or else you wouldn't have come looking for me."

There they spoke, in the vast abyss of nothing - about the Earth, the Sun, and the other divine beings and their roles. The Moon had found the answers she sought, and the lies and betrayal they had been laced with.

Confused as to why her love would lie to her, she opted not to act immediately. Rather, she continued to visit the woman in the shadows every few weeks, when she could sneak down to the Earth without alerting the Sun spirit.

The woman, as she learned later, was the physical form of darkness. The Shadow herself. The very entity the Sun had warned her of since her birth. 

The Shadow claimed to have previously been partnered with the Sun to balance the light, after an eons long war against the divines. Having been born from the deepest fears and desires of humanity and used to power their black magics, the Divines attempted to eradicate the Shadow when she first emerged. However, after countless years of conflict and much distress on the Earth, it was accepted that such darkness could not be destroyed without destroying the source - humanity. A truce was called, and it was agreed that the Sun and the Shadow should work in harmony to balance the dark and light within humanity. 

The problem with this was that the Sun did not particularly like having to share his role. 

Over time he had become angry and greedy, and fled to the stars where he had been in self-imposed isolation for millennia. He did his job and no more, and the Divines had no real way of contacting him. Life continued this way for an age, until one day a great burst of light appeared in the dark sky. 

The birth of the Moon.

The existence of the Moon was separate to the natural order of the Earth and her role directly hurt and weakened the Shadow, casting light in the Sun's absence. 

The Divines could do nothing, as they had no way to contact the Sun without reaching the Gods. And the Gods were not to be troubled with such trivial matters. 

So when the Shadow heard of the Moon travelling to the Earth, she had sought to remove this nuisance from the equation entirely and with it restore her full powers of the dark. 

The scared and lonely spirit she had found, however, was seemingly every bit the victim she was by the Sun's actions. Instead of her initial plan, she found herself unable to act and gave the Moon her first clue that all was not as it seemed.

An interaction that forever changed the fate of the Shadows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Years passed this way, with the two spirits taking every chance they could to meet - to talk, about nothing and everything, in their own little void away from the expectations of the Divines. They found in one another the kindred soul they never even knew they craved from their conception. 

They fell in love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Sun spirit was not such a fool as to never check on his beloved, and one day caught sight of her sneaking her way to Earth. At the sight of his paramour and his mortal rival embracing one another, he was overcome by fury and jealousy. He swelt with the fire of a thousand Suns, and stole his beloved to her chair in the stars, imprisoning her where the Shadow could not reach. 

The Divines had long accepted leaving the Sun in the stars to brood, but this last act of stealing from her sent the Shadow into a rage the Gods themselves would have feared. Unleashing evil entities from her control, she fueled her subjects on the Earth to use her powers to attack the creatures of magic ruled by the Sun and other Divines, an act that was returned in kind by the Sun. They waged a heavenly and earthly war against one another, and brought much destruction upon the Earth and the children of it. 

This act could not be ignored, and drew the attention of the Gods who stopped the battle. 

They asked all three - the Sun, the Moon, and the Shadow - the events behind such a war and the reasons for their behaviour. Finding the answers lacking, the judgement was made to banish all three to their realms and positions, never to interact again as punishment. 

However, a concession was made. The Moon pleaded her innocence in the war and argued she was a prisoner to the Sun, and was unfit for punishment for his actions. The Gods accepted this, but there was still the issue of the Shadows and her involvement in the war and the Gods, well, they're tricky folk. 

It was decided that the avatars of the Moon and the Shadows physicals forms they possessed on the Earth would be reborn on Earth for the rest of time. If the two avatars were to meet and fall in love again, on Earth, then the two spirits would be allowed to be together. Until that day, they would be cursed to watch as their avatars almost touch each other's lives over and over again, forbidden to take any action that would manipulate their free will.

Unbeknownst to the Gods, the avatars retained some of their connection with their spirits and with each incarnation this connection would strengthen, slowly bestowing ethereal gifts upon the two and strengthening their bond with one another. And as you may have begun to suspect, this story is not about the Moon, or the Shadows, or an otherworldly battle in the stars.

It is the story of two little girls with unique gifts, and the universe's will for them to be together.


	2. A Little Bit of Claudia in my Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first of all you're welcome and I'm sorry. Second, I'm aiming for the omniscient narrator kind of tone like in the fairy tales of old, so let me know if I'm hitting my mark. 
> 
> I will be putting author's notes with further information around the universe in this fic at the bottom so make sure to give those a read too. Enjoy!

Soren had always been a bit of a crybaby in her opinion, so it was not a great surprise that Claudia's first memory is of his fat crocodile tears. 

The kingdom of Katolis was enjoying a long, tropical summer that year and the kids were out playing in the courtyard. Never one to let a chance pass him by, her brother had been showing off for the bulk of the morning and running around with a young Callum. Claudia had joined them for a while, but was now set on her next task with spell-like focus and collecting as many jars as her little hands could find for the job. 

She was gonna get herself some butterflies, yessir. 

Her dad always liked it when she gave him them; it was odd though - she never saw where he put them but he would tell her he loves her gifts very much. And there was a flower garden nearby with all the colours of butterflies she could name!

Setting about her task with stealth an elf assassin would envy, she ticked those colours off in her mind's eye. 

Red...blue...green...yellow....orange....and her favourite, pink! 

As she stood to admire her collection floating pretty in their miniature jars, her attention was ripped away at what may very well be the single most irritating noise in her whole little life - Soren's screaming cry. Twirling around in the direction of the noise, she spotted the problem. Well, Soren is the first problem. The other is the blood dripping down his dirtied knee. Claudia makes her way to him just as her dad appears in the courtyard at the ruckus, and he lays large warm hands on both of their heads as he kneels between them. 

_"Soren, you need to be more careful... If you want to come out here running around like mad, then you can't scream the castle down every time you hurt yourself."_

At this, he looked towards Claudia and something over her shoulder caught his eye. 

_"Claudia darling, go fetch me one of those butterflies you've been catching. Please."_

She does as she is told, and grabs the jar with the pink one in it. That's the one she's proudest of. Running back over to her dad, she holds out the jar to him, expecting him to take it. Instead, he presses it gently back into her hands and looks between his children. 

_"Would you like to learn something new, Claudia?"_

She does, and tells him so. Viren takes one of her hands in his, and places it directly on her brother's bloody knee. Tells her to hold the butterfly jar close to her heart with her other arm, and to repeat the sounds as closely as she can. 

_".dnem ot desu, efil morf daerht, dne ot dnE"_

Warmth rushes through her, tingles down the veins of her arm, and into her brothers leg. Her head rolls onto her dad's strong shoulder and he holds her slight weight upright. As he removes their hands, he wipes down Soren's knee to reveal smooth skin. 

_"There we go, next time you can heal your brother when he makes a mistake, without all this fuss."_

He kisses both of their heads, and rises to leave. Claudia smiles at his back as he walks away, and raises the butterfly jar up in front of her face. 

The butterfly lays still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heartbreak was no strange and unfamiliar sensation in Claudia's life. Her mother has long been gone these days but that had not always been the case, Claudia had known her for an all too brief period. The scars on her heart had once been fresh.

She had passed away in the summer, not long after her daughter's sixth birthday. If she were to be completely honest - which she wouldn't, she hadn't thought back to that period of life for a long time - what she remembers most from that time is how tired her dad always looked. She would often catch him at night when she couldn't sleep; his steps slow and stumbling as he pottered around his office, hair graying, face gaunt. 

He was quick to pull the mask back on, if he discovered her there watching, and usher her back to her bed. More often than not, he did not even know he'd been seen. Claudia had heard his muttered angry words those nights - cursing elves and dragons and the Earth itself for his lost love. Some nights he cried. Some nights he spent staring into that strange mirror of his.

He blamed himself; certainly, a man like Viren had never admitted such a weakness to an audience, yet his frazzled state told the truth. Claudia had seen it herself, if she were not too young to know it then. 

The passing of her mother had been as needless as it was cruel - on an pilgrimage across the Midnight Desert to hunt an Ambler, she was bitten by a Soulfang Serpent. Her father had been the one to arrange the expedition, and he had not done his research properly. 

Life is never without a sense of irony... Had the fateful event occurred on the trip _back_ to Katolis, they would have had all the ingredients they needed to save her. 

As it was, they did not. And she died there in her husband's arms, in the middle of the desert. 

Young as she was at the time, little Claudia could not truly understand what it meant for a person to die. All she knew was that everyone was sad all the time for a long while. She felt sad too, she wanted her mummy to come home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer had been her mother's favourite time of year. 

Sometimes, Claudia comforted herself with the thought that at least her mother got to see her favourite season one last time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the time following her mother's passing, Claudia devoted more and more time to studying dark magic; both in an attempt to remain close to her dad, and to occupy herself now that Soren had started training properly. That said, it was not without a small pressing of guilt in the back of her mind some days - her mother had been a fighter not a mage, and her sword had been to left to Claudia in her will. Soren had it now, it hurt too much to see it in her room collecting dust. 

The smile on Soren's face when she had come by his room one night - arms laden down with the weight of the metal in its scabbard - confirmed in her heart that it really belonged with him. 

When she first began showing up in her dad's office, requesting help with this problem or that spell, it had not escaped her notice that - for those brief memories - the weight of grief lifted from his shoulders. Dark magic had been his life's work and devotion and the opportunity to impress some of his skills on his daughter, to lose himself from reality if only for a fleeting moment...it brought back the father she had known previously and desperately wanted to stay in her life.

So, she kept asking and learning and letting him teach her. It made him happy; and she supposed it was interesting, too. 

_Beats watching Soren accidentally whack himself with his training sword..._

The problem she was facing today was a fairly standard one - she was trying to practice some offensive spells, but each one she looked at required a magical source she was unable to locate, and her dad was preoccupied with meetings today. After rummaging around his office failed to reveal the items required, Claudia sat down and surveyed what she had already gathered. Frustrated, but not wanting to acquiesce the day quite yet, she decided to practice some spell forms even if she would be unable to cast an actual spell. 

Working her way through the steps, she recited the incantation aloud. 

_".ecrof fo tuc, sdrahs dna ecI"_

Slashing out her hand from its position cradled against her chest, she flicked her fingers like a blade in the direction of the castle window. As her arm finished it's motion, the telltale tingle ripped from her chest and down the veins of her arm out towards the window, shattering glass everywhere with an alarming and almighty-

_"CRACK!"_

It happened so fast, there was barely enough warning for her to shield herself from the shards sprinkling down around her. Frozen in shock, she stood dumbly staring at the mess until the heavy footsteps of the guards barged their way through the door and broke her trance.

_"Miss Claudia! Are you alright? What happened?"_

_"I-I'm fine sorry, just an accident with a spell. I'm okay."_

Delivered with a calmness foreign amongst the chaos around the room, the guards looked hesitant but when no intruders became apparent, they reluctantly allowed her to shoo them back out. After assuring her - and perhaps themselves - that they would be right down the hall if she needs them. 

Closing the door at their backs, she leans heavy against it, heart thrumming in her chest. 

_What. The. Gods._

__

__

_That shouldn't have been possible._

Steeling her nerves, and her resolve, Claudia strode across the room and cleared her father's desk. Once done, she took out a single empty glass jar, and sat it in the middle of the desk. After a moment spent just staring it down, she lifted a now shaking hand and performed the spell, flicking her hand towards the jar. 

This time when it shatters, she expects it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over time, she learns how to push her abilities. Now, that's not to say she has any better understanding of _why_ she can cast spells without sacrifice - that part has always remained a mystery no matter how many books she and her dad pour over. 

But, it does make her feel very cool.

It took her some time to gather the confidence to confide in her father about her abilities, but his immediate and fervent interest in them made her so happy she did. They were closer than ever now; she was his right hand woman and part of all his duties, and together they pushed her limitations. 

Sometimes though, she needed a break. On those days, it wouldn't be rare to find her hiding in a tucked-away nook in the library, reading or napping where no one will go looking for her. 

Today was a little different - she was hunkered down and embracing her inner child, trying to recreate one of her favourite fictional associations for mages. Her very own familiar. All the mages in the story books had familiars, and she wanted one. 

Her dad had called it a foolish endeavour. And it would be terribly unlike Claudia to ever let a little negativity hold her back. 

Hiding in a corner of the library with all the books and spells she could think of, she sat trying to puzzle out a combination that might bring her wish to life. Hours passed this way, and with each failed attempt her willpower dwindled, and the dark began to take residence in the library. 

Reading by candlelight was always a chore, and she spread out on her back, watching the shadows dance on the ceiling above. 

_"Maybe if I ask nicely enough, I'll get one?"_

She giggled to herself at the thought, but figured there was no harm in giving it a try. After all, stranger things have happened. 

Closing her eyes, she made her wish and in her mind asked the shadows her question, nicely. Imagining her favourite animal - a deer - she reached a hand in the dark and felt around, indulging her foolish desire to play pretend.

She did not shriek at the wet lick to her hand. Nope. Not at all.

Grabbing the dwindling candle, she held it out in the direction her hand had just been to reveal a pair of large green eyes the same shade of her own peering back in the dim light. Nerves settling after a second of them just looking back at her, the deer approached close enough for her to reach out for its fur - stark black like the hair on her own head. 

_"Huh, guess no one will have to wonder who you belong to, right little one?"_

With a last lick to her hand, and as her body began to feel heavy where she sat, the deer curled against her side content to stay there for a little while in the dark of the library. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was not only deers she could conjure, as she learned with the years. With enough concentration, any animal was fair game. 

Excuse the pun. 

Larger animals required larger concentration, and Claudia's ability to focus had always been a hit or a miss. The sight of Claudia wandering around the castle followed by various dark animals quickly became normal - most folk either deciding it was none of their business or just accepting it as another of her oddities. 

(Well, as normal as 'normal' is in Katolis.)

The realisation that she could control the familiars, and even give them commands, started the first in a series of ridiculous events that resulted in their permanent banishment from the throne room. By order of the King, himself. 

_Eh, it had been worth it._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All things considered, Claudia had accepted the fact that her life will always be a tad bit strange. That's why her lazy Sunday mornings spent lounging around with the boys were so special, sometimes it was nice to just be a normal kid, if even only for a short while. 

Callum had his head firmly between the pages of his sketchbook, he never lets Claudia see what he's drawing for some reason. That left her and Ezran. And Bait, can't forget him. 

They were currently deep into their game of hide-and-seek, and it was her turn to seek. Counting down from ten, she turned away from the wall and scanned the room, pretending not to notice the glowing from the cracked lid of the trunk by the corner. Taking deliberately heavy strides, she begins her hunt across the room.

_"Now where oh where might they be..."_

If the glowing wasn't a big enough hint, the muffled giggling certainly would be. Slowly creeping her way over to the trunk, she leans down to place her hands on its lid. 

The tightening of her chest halts her next action. Straightening back up, Claudia tries for a deep breath but no air enters her lungs, all that comes out is a strangled gasp as she clutches at her throat. As she tries to draw a breath, her feet slowly lift from the ground as a phantom weight pushes hard all over her body and she quickly begins to struggle against it. She can't move, she can't breathe, she can't call for help. 

It takes a moment for him to notice her, but finally Callum glances up towards her and screams for help just as her vision starts to blur - the sound is muffled as it reaches her ears. The footsteps that come charging into the room she feels more than she hears, vibrating across the room, and the fight begins to leave her just as she feels the sensation of someone trying to pull her down from her perch in the air. 

Just as fast as it started, it stops - dropping her unceremoniously in a heap on the floor, frightened, cold and half-conscious. Succumbing to the fatigue over her body, her eyes close just as her dad's face appears worriedly over her prone form. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Awakening in her bed an undetermined amount of time in the future, the first thing to catch her notice is the sight of her dad and Soren both napping off to the side of her bed where they'd clearly been camped out. Lacking the strength to call out and wake them, she allows the relief of waking up alive and okay to wash over her and lull her back to her own slumber. 

It would be a couple more days before she got a good enough look at her father to connect the worry from whatever just happened to her, to the new grey hairs by his temple. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No matter how many times she asked, insisting she was experienced enough, her dad would never allow her to join any excursions into Xadia. For us reading this tale, it is not difficult to decipher the reasoning behind such a stance, but teenagers have a tendency to be foolhardy and resentful of reasoning. 

Camping out in her dad's office, she was doing what she felt to be the best way to contribute to helping him - working on unenchanting that odd mirror. Claudia was starting to believe that it really was just, well, a mirror. A fancy one admittedly, but equally as useless. Her dad was convinced otherwise though, so she would continue to assist. 

Preparing to cast her next spell, her focus was broken by the sharp rapping knock on the locked door. 

_"In a minute! Magical stuff happening in here!"_

__

__

"Miss Claudia, you are required in the throne room immediately."

_Well, that doesn't sound good._

Her father and the King were due back home any day now, and with rising worry in her chest she abandoned the mirror - not before chucking a tapestry back over it like dad always told her to do. The worried and pale faces of the guards outside her door do nothing to assure her nerves, and she breaks off in a run to the throne room. 

Arriving by the large, decorative doors, her dad and Soren are standing outside them with solemn expressions. They both pull her into a hug almost too tight and too long, before her dad breaks the silence. 

_"The queen...there was a problem. She didn't make it."_

_No..._

At his words, the muffled noises from the throne room catch her notice. Ezran and Callum, sobbing. She turns to place a hand on one of the massive door handles, but Soren takes it in his and shakes his head. 

_"We should give them some time."_

It's her job to help, and she wants to help the boys. Help them, like she always does for her dad and her brother, but there is only so many cures for a broken heart and Claudia has yet to find one of those. 

She allows Soren to pull her away from the door, and down the hall, tears thick in her throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, important notes about this chapter are as follows:
> 
> I have made the decision not to create names for characters that don't have them yet in the show, i.e. Claudia's mum. I feel like this will help the fic maintain immersion when canon inevitably updates.  
> This chapter is important for a lot of the plot later on as it gives snapshots into her life growing up and explains a lot about who Claudia is as a person. 
> 
> If you have any questions or are loving this story, please let me know in the comments below! Thanks!


	3. A Little Bit of Rayla by my Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, forgot to say last chapter but that one and this one should be read as companions to one another, and the attentive readers amongst you will be able to spot the connection between the girls starting to show. ;) As always, read the notes at the end and enjoy!

Rayla's first memory was not of parents or siblings - it was of her uncle, Ethari, bare-chested and lounging on the rug in his study, covered in paint of all colours.

Her handiwork, of course.

She had loved his markings ever since she had been grown enough to notice them, having tried to clutch at them even as a baby. And over time and a number of babysitting duties, this ritual had been born. Whenever her parents and her uncle, Runaan, had duties to attend to with the Dragon Guard, the two would often find themselves in one another's company. And quite frankly, Ethari needed some way to keep her from climbing all over his home. Or him.

The first time had been accidental - on Ethari's part at least, any claim of innocence on Rayla's part surely forfeited by her other antics for the day. Having attempted to focus on his study for hours to no avail, poor Ethari had eventually slumped down on to the rug next to where Rayla was trying with all her toddler might to open his ink well.

How she had gotten it in the first place was magic in itself, as Ethari's desk was by no means toddler-accesible.

The decision to close his eyes for a moment - to rest both his body and his patience - was, in hindsight, a silly one. A realisation that occurred approximately 0.4 seconds after the first cold, wet slap of ink onto his bared arm.

Slap. Slap. Slap.

Fantasising about what he planned to do to his dearly beloved in-laws for the position he was currently in was, unfortunately, a temporary reprieve from his situation, and he knew sooner or later he would have to acknowledge the vandalism being done to his arm. Cracking an eye open to survey the damage and preparing to wrestle the remainder of the ink away from his niece, he was greeted with an entirely new sight for the day - Rayla, finally quiet and still, swirling the ink in her own patterns, up and down and all around his arm.

(The mess of the ink was hardly new, that part he was increasingly growing accustomed to.)

When several attempts at prompting her attention away from his arm had failed he saw the opportunity for what it was, and as discreetly as he could manage so as not to disrupt her focus, reached behind him for his book on his desk. And there they sat, on the floor of his study, covered in ink together until long after the Moon had risen in the sky.

A tradition was born.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, when her parents had at long last returned to collect her, they did not bother to hide their amusement at his blackened and harassed condition.

_"You know Ethari, you're not supposed to let her win."_

The tease in her mother's voice was reflected in the little twitch at the corner of her mouth; she was at least kind enough to try and pretend not to be laughing at him, if only externally. Handing a sleeping Rayla to her father with no shortage of relief, Ethari chuckled quietly at the jest.

_"I can hardly be blamed for not being able to hold my ground against her, she's more like her mother than I'd have ever thought."_

The comment floated in the air, and the two parents shared a swift look with one another that Ethari had only recently begun to understand. Love and pride, for the boisterous little bundle of chaos that had waged a war of attrition against him for the best part of a day.

Whenever Ethari was asked to babysit after that day, he would make sure to pick up some colourful paints from the market.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time the dream happens, it plays out differently than Rayla would later grow accustomed to. It started the same as it always would, coming to her on the night of the full Moon. Awakening in a plush office and to the sight of a painting that towers over her as it swings open, the passage behind it beckons her towards its secrets. On entry, the shadows cling to the edges of her mind, in that particular way dreams are wont to do, obscuring much of her surroundings bar the path ahead.

With age, and the reliving of the dream many times, Rayla learns to recognise the artefacts around the office - supplies for dark mages. Such an office could only belong to a human mage, no elf would dare collect such items for dark use.

Following the path laid before her, feet leading her down the stairs and along the path as the dark of the vast hall dwarves her small frame.  


Ever brave, she continues on and soon enters the final room. The presence in there would become a constant in her life - a girl, long dark hair facing towards Rayla, maybe a year older than she is.

At the sight of her, the sobs emitting from her curled little form strike against Rayla's heart, tugging at the deep sorrow within her and sticking her feet in place. Tears well in her eyes as layer after layer of grief spread themselves across her little chest, until she crumbles in a heap behind the girl in that dark room.

When she awakes, safe in her little bed in the Silvergrove, she is still crying. The phantom sadness persists for months afterwards, her heart yearning to fill an emptiness in her chest that did not belong to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dream happens every full moon after that night. It differed from the first one, but remained constant from there on. Each time, she awakens in that dark office somewhere in the human kingdoms, and follows the familiar path behind the painting, down to the hidden room. No matter how much older and bigger she gets the surroundings always look larger than life, rendering her as small as she was that first journey through the passageway.

Entering the room at the end of the hall, and greeted by the back of a dark head of long black hair, the girl is no longer curled up on the ground.

Animated and gesturing, she appears to be conducting a conversation with no words forthcoming, unsettling and uncanny. It takes longer than the first time for Rayla to notice what it is that tenses her body, something her subconscious mind picked up that she did not.

The girl's feet bounce in the air, dangling her mere inches from the ground. Her movements are stuttering and stilted, almost human but not, and she moves in patterns like a puppet who's master is rehearsing a scene over and over again.

Rayla has never seen her face.

Whenever close enough that she can reach out to brush her dark hair from covering her features, the girl crumples to the ground in a heap not unlike the one little Rayla had that very first meeting. Spirits above, Rayla tried as many ideas as she could think to reach her before she falls - running starts, sneaking in, and one very notable and amusing attempt to scare the girl into turning - but all efforts to learn the appearance of the girl failed time after time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Silvergrove was the main hub for warriors-in-training in their region, and her uncle Runaan was the man in charge of whipping the new round of recruits into fighting condition. Her mother had made it clear that she was not to be involving herself with such matters until she was much, much older - and she made sure to establish that point clearly to all the men around. Her daughter seemed to have some magic-bending abilities to coax them all into doing whatever her little mind desired, and was not afraid to ambush one of her uncles in order to undermine her mother's rules.

That certainly did not mean she was not going to try.

The recruits were due to run their forest trials today, and were prepping themselves at the edge of the village. High up in a tree nearby, ever the sneaky assassin-to-be, Rayla watched them warm-up trying her best to stay out of sight. The trial they were running for today was stealth training; the recruits had to make their way from one side of the forest to another, avoiding being seen or caught by the instructors who would be camped out throughout the forest.

Her plan was simple - they couldn't tell her she wasn't a participant if they didn't catch her! All she had to do was reach the marker on the other side of the forest without being caught and surely her readiness for training would become apparent, her mother would have to agree to let her train.

At the sound of the whistle, the recruits below took off into the trees and she followed suit a few moments later so she wouldn't run straight into them.

Running through the forest, dodging foliage and trees, her steps were deliberate and precise. Landing exactly where she meant to, and making sure to muffle any noises, she found her flow through the forest. Once or twice she thought she had been caught, the ruffle of leaves to her side or behind catching her notice but never an elf appearing by their side.

Spotting the clearing that marked the finishing point, urgency pressed her on and she sprinted the last of the way into the clearing before she risked being grabbed by the instructors no doubt lingering near by.

_"Spirits, I actually did it!"_

Excited as she was, and caught up in her little dance of victory, Rayla did not notice the slack-jawed stares she was receiving immediately. It took her a few moments, but when she stood proudly in preparation of puffing out her chest, the shocked faces of the elves looking at her did not look how she had braced for. Instead of annoyance or mirth as she was familiar with, the expressions were more akin to horror.

_"Maybe I've got mud all over me or something..."_

Following the path of their sight, she looked down at her body. And looked straight through it.

It was not a full moon that day and no spell-casting had been done, yet there she stood - translucent as if the full beam of the Moon shined on her specifically - in a forest fallen silent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She started training the following week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her aunt, Lujanne, had always been a bit kooky. That's what Rayla liked about her. They understood each other, though Rayla had never had much talent in magic - preferring her knives to draw her symbols.

Lujanne was the Guardian of the Moon Nexus, meaning she only floated her way into the Silvergrove on rare occasions, to Rayla's disappointment. It did, however, mean there was always the next visit to look forward to.

This was one such visit, and the two of them were out for a fly with Phoe-Phoe. Pausing high up on a cliff facing over the valley, they lounged under the tree canopy while the Moon Phoenix had herself some well-deserved shut eye.

_"How's your training going, Rayla?"_

_"It's been alright so far, Runaan is helping me control my shifting a lot better, I can mostly do it on command now. Want to see?"_

A gentle hand on her knee halts her rise from her seat on the grass.

_"That's quite alright sweetie, lets just enjoy the Sun on our faces, shall we?"_

Her aunt sits bathing in the late afternoon sun for a few more moments, before again breaking their silence.

_"Have you still been having those dreams of yours?"_

Silence.

Turning her head to the side, an eye peaking out to check on her niece, she smiles at the brazen attempt to pretend not to have heard the question.

_"Rayla... I know you heard me. That won't work on me."_

Her voice is teasing and soft, she knows the topic is not one Rayla enjoys talking about. Her neice had only trusted her with the truth about the visions plagueing her rest for years. If the Silvergove's own crazy mage couldn't accept such a thing, who else would?

Looking appropriately chastined, lilac eyes meet her own.

_"Yes, I still have them every Moon cycle."_

_"I see. And are they still the same?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Hmm."_

They sat there, legs dangling off the side of the cliff for just long enough that Rayla began to think she was off the hook.

_"Have you made any friends in training yet?"_

_"No...they don't like me very much. They think I'm weird."_

_"Well that's no bother, sometimes it's better to be a little weird, we can't all be the same right?"_

With no shortage of flair, her aunt chose that moment to return to her feet, and held a hand out towards Rayla. Taking the offer of assistance, and allowing the warmth of her aunt's calloused hands to comfort her, she was pulled onto her feet.

" _Alright then, why don't we head back before it starts getting cold, hmm?"_

_"Yes, auntie."_

_"Oh don't look so blue! Why don't we race? Let's see if you can hold your shift until Phoe-Phoe reaches the Silvergrove. How's that sound?"_

_"Yea, I can totally beat her! I've gotten real good!"_

_"Let's find out, and if you win I'll show you some real mind melters, you can freak those kid's beans right out their skulls!"_

Pausing long enough to toss a silly face in her niece's direction, Lujanne strolls over to where Phoe-Phoe is stretching and climbs onto the phoenix's back. Lending Rayla a hand to climb on, they set off back to the Silvergrove.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayla learned later that she shouldn't have ignored the feeling in her gut when Runaan called the recruits together for their next trial. On a dreary winter morning, and after a heavy storm the previous evening, the forest surrounding the Silvergrove was still alight with the remaining primal energy.

Runaan was leading them all out into the forest this morning, and spirits were low thanks to a combination of the early hour and the stinging cold biting into their skin.

_"Warriors do not stop because of a little chill in the air,"_ he'd admonished.

Rayla trudged along at the very back, not speaking to anyone and wrapped up in her thoughts. She had already been awake when Runaan sent out the alert this morning, an uneasy feeling sitting heavy in her stomach and preventing sleep from allowing her any relief. And as such, she was more than a little grumpy.

After what felt like an age, they came upon the river where Runaan stopped and turned to face the recruits. The river was swollen and angry, fuelled by the storm rainfall as it crashed against the banks and tried it's damndest to swallow up Runaan's instructions. For his part, Runaan barely even seemed to notice the racket of the river, and Rayla realised belatedly that she should be paying attention to what he was saying.

_"...for this trial, you must remain vigilant at all times. Nature is unforgiving, and the river will stop for no one. You must plot your course and move with precision if you are to cross it successfully."_

_....what?! There's no way he means we've to cross that-_

The first brave recruit took his tentative first leap into the sparse stones and began to plan his next step to the other side, the river mere inches from compromising his footing.

_Oh no...no no no..._

One by one the other elves made their way across until Rayla was the last one to go, and she stood hesitating on the bank staring into rushing waters.

_"Come on Rayla, we're not moving on until you try. I'm quite happy to wait out here until the Moon rises, but I doubt your peers will be very pleased."_

No shortage of grumbling followed his statement - they knew he meant it. Every fibre of her being from her horns to her toes was screaming at her not to do it, but she had no choice.

_Moonshadow elves don't show fear, ever._

She took her first leap right at the moment the river swelt again - and shoved her foot clear of the stone she had aimed for. Before she could even react to the mis-step, the shock of the cold water froze her still and she immediately began to panic as the river pushed her firmly under its surface. In the dark of the winter morning, it proved more difficult than it usually would be to right herself, and she had swallowed a lot of water as she went under. Her strength began to leave her as she struggled to right herself, feeling her vision begin to sting and blur as her consciousness slipped away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she came to on the bank - cold, shivering and with a pale and teary Runaan fretting over her - the first thought on her mind was that the uneasy queasiness plaguing her all day had finally left her in peace.

_A warning? Did I know this was going to happen somehow?_

Seeing her wake and weakly reach out for him, Runaan broke into a smile - it felt like years since she'd last saw him so unguarded.

_"Trust you to be the one to fall in and force me to have to dive in and save you."_

The teasing tone didn't quite reach his eyes; he was more worried than he was letting on. Plastering her cheeriest smile on with the strength she had left, she attempted to calm him. She was safe. She was alive.

_"I have never hated water more."_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the years that follow, the feeling of dread becomes a constant presence in her life. More often than not, whatever event it is forewarning against does not come to fruition - her added alertness allowing Rayla to take extra precautions those days.

There are a handful of unlucky days, however.

Opting to keep the knowledge of whatever is going on with her to herself, she would rather not give everyone more reasons to think her odd. She doesn't even tell Lujanne, trying instead to look out for those around her quietly.

Sometimes, she fails.

Fortunately, nothing too permanent has occurred - a few broken bones here and there, some cattle poached, and one year the winter pantry had become infested with pests. Her heart is bigger than she likes to let on, and to say she never felt guilty about not warning against things she could have would be a lie, but already there were too many sideways looks being cast her way when she passed through the village.

Sometimes, Rayla was glad to have the ability to disappear on command.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the day of her 14th birthday, five years after she started training with her uncle, she was awoken by a rare sound - multiple familiar voices, twinkling into her room from other parts of the house.

Curiosity piqued, she rises from her bed and creeps out of her room to investigate. The house is dark, and the voices have quietened. As she turns into the kitchen, the candles littered around spark to life.

_"Happy Birthday, Rayla!"_

All of her family are gathered in the kitchen, big smiles on their faces at the sight of her. There's a cake on the table, and a small pile of gifts wrapped in brown paper. One thing stands out amongst all else - her parents are here, both of them! It had been years since she last had them together, always busy with Dragon Guard duties as they were. Her father pulls her into his strong arms and lifts her off the ground a few inches as he does so.

_"Mum, dad! You're here!"_

Doing her best not to get choked up, she smiled brightly at them before hugging her aunt and uncles too.

_"About time you noticed us, I was starting to wrinkle here,"_ Lujanne could always be counted on to keep the mood light. Or to not notice it in the first place. It can be hard to tell. Rayla's mother stepped forward and took her hands in her own.

_"Today is a very important day and we all wanted to be here."_

Gesturing to her brother to come closer, Rayla noticed he was holding something behind his back. Runaan brought the item out where she could see it - a package, about the length of her forearm and held tightly together with string - and placed it into her hands.

It was heavy and comforting as she weighed it.

Opening it at their behest, she was unsure what the gift was at first - criss-crossing metal pieces hard to distinguish from each other - but there was two of them. Seeing her confusion, Runaan gently took one from her and spun it around with a flourish causing the metal to begin to separate.

_No. Way._

It was a butterfly blade! Two of them, exactly the weapon she had requested for her graduation from training. Mind grinding to halt, the implication of the gift did not hit her quick enough before she sent a puzzled look to the adults watching her.

Pressing the handle of the now opened blade into her hand, Runaan placed one of his own hands onto her shoulder with no small amount of pride.

_"As of this moment, you are no longer to report to me for training. Congratulations Rayla, you are now a full member of the Clan and can join missions outside of the Silvergrove."_

She absolutely, positively, decidedly did not cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes on this chapter:
> 
> I have decided to make Lujanne Rayla's aunt in this story because I felt like it and wanted to. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> Rayla's parents are alive in this AU, but distant cause they're important folk and Rayla doesn't see them very much. 
> 
> Thanks and feel free to leave a comment below!


	4. Of Sirens and the Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be interspersing the main story with scenes relevant to the Moon and the Shadow, and their other lives. I feel like it adds a nice level of world-building to this little AU. These chapters will always be posted in quick succession with one focused on the main story, so as not to disappoint anyone with 'filler' chapters. 
> 
> I can be found on Tumblr if anyone is interested in following me, if you do please drop me a message and let me know you've come from here. URL: shallitickleyournerdbutton 
> 
> As always, author's notes at the bottom. Enjoy!

The first pair of avatars were two that came the closest, and it was perhaps in part a cruel joke of the Gods - it was not going to be so easy for the spirits to best their curse. In a way they could be considered one of the simplest pairings, born without the manifestations of their spiritual connections that their later lives would develop and into quiet lives on the outskirts of society. 

The first Moon avatar truly suited her status, growing up in a small elven port town by the border and as beautiful as the Moon herself on a clear, starry night. Curious and flighty as her spirit, she drew attentions from many yet never quite managed to grasp what her heart sought, spending her days caring for those in her small, faraway town. 

Back in those early days, and fresh from the last dark age, humans and elves did not exactly view one another in a favourable light. The Moon and her Shadow could only watch, tentative, as a human vessel limped across the waves to the elven port town. Preparing themselves for an altercation, the township held a collective breath. 

As the ship neared, the finer details of its appearance were made visible to those watching. Lacking armaments and crew, it did not appear to be there for the purpose of atrocity. The white flag being waved further supported this image. Pulling staggeredly into the port, the voice of its captain could be heard calling out, panicked and distant. 

_"Please, help! Help!"_

A healer by trade and by heart, the Moon avatar followed his voice luring her towards the ship. Seeing the distrustful expressions on the faces of her fellow elves she hesitated in her steps across the dock, about to reconsider and turn back. The man's broken sobs kept her footsteps steady, nearing the edge of the ship, close enough she could lean over _just_ enough to touch it if she wanted.

Peering over its edge, the captain was hunched over fretting at something by the door to the ship's cabin. In the dwindling evening light it took a moment before she was able to make out something peeking from around his frame - a pair of boot-covered feet. 

_A body..?_

Sensing her presence the captain snaps around to face her, braced for an attack. When it did not come, the last of his strength faded and he hung his head heavily. 

_"Please, my daughter...she's been poisoned. This was the only town within reach, I know you don't owe us anything but we've never done anything against Xadia, please help her I know you can."_

Climbing somewhat cumbersomely onto the ship, she crouches by his side - the captain moved back almost as if struck, watching anxiously as the elf brushes his daughter's dark hair from her face. Eyes closed, skin pale and clammy to the touch...she looked halfway to her grave already. 

After a long moment caught in examining the girl's delicate features, a surge of energy spilled forth from a place deep within the Moon avatar and she raised to her feet, barking commands to her fellows that had crept closer to the ship. Bundling the girl up, she was hastily removed from the ship and carried into one of the nearby buildings, her father left to follow behind dumbly. The elves quickly deposited the girl into one of the beds that were available, as the Moon avatar began to gather supplies from around the room. Ordering everyone from the room, she directs a question at the captain, who was glancing around the apothecary with teary and overwhelmed eyes. 

_"What was she poisoned by?"_

Startling at the sound of her first words to him, he takes a moment to respond. Growing impatient, she snaps the question a second time. 

_"It was an eel, about the size of my thigh! Blue markings. It got caught in one of our nets, we thought it was dead and she went to remove it..."_

He trailed off, lost in thought. It was no matter, she had all the information she needed to begin treatment. There was only one species of blue eel that was active during the day, and the fates had aligned for the unfortunate duo - they had found their way to one of the few people with the knowledge to help. She pulled the required ingredients together and began to brew an antipotion. 

Once ready, she turned to the captain and instructed him to sit the girl upright. 

_"We need to get her to drink this, hopefully it's not too late."_

With a fair amount of grief and maneuvering, they eventually manage to force enough of the potion into her system to satisfy the Moon avatar. Now all they could do was wait. 

The Moon avatar left the captain to watch his daughter, with a warning not to wander outside his welcome. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It looked grim for a while; days passed with no improvement in the girl, the Moon avatar checking on her every few hours. 

Initially wary of each other, the captain and she kept their mutual distance, speaking only to discuss his daughter's condition. After their arrival the captain had replaced his mask of stoicism, keeping to himself until she left the two of them alone again. 

Perhaps that was why it was so jarring to catch him with his guard down, on the third day of their stay. 

The sight of his large frame bundled up in the bedside chair, small pale hand gentle in a larger one, soft words whispered too low to hear... it was clearly not meant to be seen, and certainly not by her. Recalculating her path, she tried to back out as quietly as possible so as not to alert him. 

_"You can come in, it's okay."_

Debating whether to pretend she hadn't heard and leave, she lingered by the door a second too long and her feet made the choice for her. She moves to the opposite side of the bed and begins to do her checks, on autopilot but not quite - the feeling of being watched holding a presence in her mind. She ignores it. 

_"Her fever seems to finally be breaking, she should start showing improvement soon."_

The captain looks ten years younger at her statement, Atlas himself unseating the world from its perch on his shoulders, smile breaking through for the first time since their arrival. Ready to depart and leave them again, she brushes away an errant strand of dark hair and studies the girl's face for a moment. She is wearing a peculiar necklace, a pendant that appears to be made of a magical crystal - it pulses with colour when she touches it.

_Hmm, I wonder where she got that._

_"She's very beautiful,"_ she voices instead. 

Chuckling to himself, the captain replies, _"That she is, has given me my fair share of hassle with the situations she gets into."_

A tired hand gestures to the girl's general state in the bed, as if in evidence. 

_"Always getting herself into trouble of some sort, would you believe that eel isn't the strangest thing she's been bit by?"_

There's a delicate fondness in his eyes, clearly caught up in memories of his daughter's antics. Enticed by his newly relaxed and talkative demeanor, she humours him. 

_"Maybe not the strangest but plenty dangerous. Is she likely to destroy all my hard work keeping her alive? My services will come at a price in future."_

The words themselves were harsh but her tone was light and airy, accompanied by her sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. The captain is all too happy to distract himself with tales of happier times and she has no real pressing matters to attend to, so they sit and talk for the first time properly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They talk for hours, which turns into days. 

The stories he tells of his daughter are ridiculous and brash - surely no one would be so bold as to do such things! One such tale - which she considered her favourite - was an attempt to woo an admiral's daughter away from her betrothed, eventually challenging him to a duel. 

_The audacity of this girl!_

Brawls in bars in multiple towns, several attempts to steal other ships - thankfully thwarted by her father - and more than a generous handful of scorned lovers... she certainly knew how to blaze a trail. 

She found herself growing fond of the young woman in her care. It was a strange duality, to feel intimately familiar with someone despite never having spoken. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the seventh day of their residence in the Moon avatar's home, the girl opens her eyes for the first time. It takes another seven for her to be healthy enough to leave. 

The Moon avatar continues to listen to the captain's stories on the days his daughter is too exhausted to remain conscious, she enjoys the tales of adventure and of a certain free-spirit. 

She will miss them, when they have to depart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the fifteenth day, two weeks after their arrival, they are preparing their ship for departure. 

The girl is still weak and standing on slightly shaky legs, but they both insist on leaving - they had already had far longer a welcome than ever anticipated and did not want to ask for anything more. The Moon avatar assists them with loading up their boat, and presses a basket of food into the girl's arms as they finish with the last few tasks. She opens her mouth as if to argue, and is stopped by a four-fingered hand pressing to her lips. 

_"You'll need your strength for your next daring act, just try not to end up back in my parlor too soon."_

The girl has the decency to look embarrassed, with a modest splash of pink tinting her ears and neck. 

_"Maybe you should come with us, never know when some magic hands might come in handy."_

Well, now they were both blushing. Bad joke aside, the captain's daughter held an expectant hand over the gangway towards her. Following the extended hand, she is met with a cheeky smile and big green eyes and oh, _wow_... she understands why there are some who still believe in sirens. Her hand lifts on its own, pulled by a phantom desire. 

...She can't. 

Her inner turmoil must not have been as internal as she thought, as the hand drops and instead moves to the odd pendant around the girl's neck, removing it. 

_"Consider this both a thank you, and a promise. I'll come back one day for that, maybe you'll have changed your mind by then."_

Stepping into the Moon avatar's personal space, the girl loops the necklace around her and with a last small smile takes leave for the boat, pulling up the gangway behind her. 

The Moon avatar watches until the ship disappears over the horizon, flirting with fantasies of the high seas and green eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She is not the only spectator watching the ship as it sails away, attentions from realms outside the perception of the mortal world also focused on the port town. Daring to hope, our Moon and her Shadow anticipate the years away in wait of a reunion. Truly, beings old as they should have recognised the promise from the lips of the captain's daughter for what it was - a taunt from the Gods. 

A year to the day of the captain's first hail to the elf town, a storm unlike any seen for generations wreaks havoc upon that little corner of the world. 

When the ship succumbs to the elements, three souls drown and two souls weep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> Since at least one person was confused by it previously, I'm making the knowledge explicit here: a part of the avatar's connection to each other means that if one dies, the other will too. This is a condition done to keep the pairs in the same 'lifecycle' as each other. It's a bit more awkward for them to fall for one another if they end up generations apart. And it's angsty, we all love a little bit of angst. That's why in this chapter it's "three souls", the captain and daughter drown at sea, but the result of this is that the Moon avatar also dies with them. This is also what nearly killed Claudia as a kid, she is connected to Rayla and her coming so close to dying also affected Claudia. 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment below telling me what you think of the story so far. Thanks for reading!


	5. A Message from a Crow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! Rayla's parents have been named, so I will use their names in this story from here on out. See, I made the right choice not naming them because now I'd want to go back and change everything if I'd made up my own names. 
> 
> We're finally getting into the start of the story now, I've added a Slow Burn tag to the story considering I've wrote 14k words and they've still not met ._.
> 
> If anyone wants to follow me on Tumblr, my URL is shallitickleyournerdbutton, drop me a message letting me know you've come from here if you do!
> 
> As always, notes at the bottom!

Following the passing of the Queen, the kingdom of Katolis had spent a quiet year in mourning. Queen Sarai had been very much a queen of the people, and she always held their best interests close to her heart, closer than most of her status could ever pretend to. It is not often a mortal death will blanket an entire continent, covering a land with a sorrowful calm, yet her death was felt in even the furthest reaches and corners. The King and the princes had been missing from the public eye for a time now, though the kingdom was fed and content so there was not too much issue.

Questions and murmurs, however, are difficult to curb no matter the degree of authority imposed, and before long talks of vengeance for their lost queen could be heard floating through cracks in windows and walls and masks. The King's announcement in the weeks prior to the summer solstice was a shock across humanity, and many did not entirely believe it to be true at first.

On his first appearance in the courtyard of the castle, he stood on the very same balcony that had marked the most joyous occasions in his life - his coronation, his marriage, the birth of his son - and addressed his people.

"To all of you today, I stand here to offer my deepest apologies - I have not been as strong a king as you deserve.

I have allowed myself to falter, to show weakness... but in truth, my heart is broken in a way I had never believed possible. My Queen, your Queen... she gave her life for us all, and in her sacrifice we have all suffered a loss and heartbreak. I ask of you today to keep that loss, that grief, close to your hearts as you hear my words.

I have watched my children mourn for their mother, and an entire world mourn with them. And all for what, I ask? Revenge, and hate, and ugliness, all fighting a war we had no part in starting... how many more mothers will be lost? How many of our children? Too long humanity has been a source of ugliness in our world... which is why, as of today, Katolis will be the change in our world we all deserve.

I have heard your whispers of vengeance, and I empathise with such a desire deeply, but I will not have any more deaths on my conscience. We _will_ act in retaliation, by showing restraint, and compassion."

King Harrow pauses to allow his words to sink in, before continuing.

"We will stand as a beacon of peace, and I am willing to defend it with my life, so that one day my sons will not have to lay down theirs. I ask of you today to stand by your King, so that no more shall we experience the pain of loss to this endless war.

To mark this decision in history, Katolis will be hosting a gala on the coming solstice, and invites will be sent to noble lines from _all_ regions.

I expect the people of Katolis to show respect and compassion to their fellow beings of Earth, in order for us to be successful in ushering in a new age! You are my kin and I love you all, so I ask for your faith in me in this difficult time. We will stand together, we will stand proud, we will stand united! But first, you must stand with me. Will you?"

Silence stretches across the plaza, no one wanting to be the first to stand against the crowd. Doubt began to claim place in the fair King's heart, unable to fully dispel the voices of his advisors, warning that this path was a naive one. Opeli, one such advisor - and admittedly one of the saner heads - could be seen just on the outskirts of his vision, gesturing for him to retire back into the palace. Just as he turned his head and began to consider listening to her for the first time that evening, a distinctive clinking of metal skipped across the silence like a stone upon water.

One of the Crownguard had removed his helm and sword, and stuck them in the ground by his feet - but stood tall with hand in salute. Slowly, _slowly_ , others began to follow his lead, rippling through the crowd until most held themselves tall in support of their King.

There were some who remained in doubt, but those were a minority. King Harrow stepped forward again to thank the crowd, before taking his leave back within the castle walls.

He did not notice the scornful look directed at his retreating back by his closest advisor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the privacy of the King's quarters, Viren was quick to voice his disapproval, pressing Harrow to reconsider his stance.

"You can't do this, Harrow! They've pushed us from our birth lands, see us as lesser beings, peace will not work! We must-"

"Enough!"

Hunched over, head in his hands as he leaned against the edge of his grand desk, the King was not in a mood to listen to anymore argument.

"I am tired, Viren. My decision is made, and the people stand with me. Why do you continue to chase death and anger? I would have thought you, of all people, would understand why I am doing this - for Soren, and Claudia, Callum and Ezran... do you wish to see them end the way our loves did?"

This was the wrong thing to say.

Pulling on the same stoic mask he had for years - back straight, head high - he was not Viren, the King's oldest friend, but the Archmage of Katolis.

"If you invite those elves into our kingdom, I fear that is _exactly_ what will happen."

Harrow could only watch as he stormed off down the hall, with a sigh heavy in his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, a second announcement was made - the use of dark magic would no longer be permitted in Katolis without explicit approval by the King.

The day of the announcement, and the ones following it, Viren was nowhere to be seen. Claudia and her brother searched the castle many times over to no avail, the Archimage turning up to a meeting in the throne room on the third day as if nothing had happened.

In her search, Claudia had taken notice of one detail - the mirror had disappeared from her dad's office. It hadn't been seen anywhere else in the castle, the one time she considered asking her dad about it, she decided against it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The arrival of the King's letter to the Silvergrove caused a fair bit of ruckus, to put it mildly. Firstly, the message was not delivered by a shadow hawk as would be expected by the elves, but by a stark black crow. Flittering into the town hall and chirping impatiently, the elves regarded it with myriad suspicion at first.

"A crow?"

"Only humans use crows, stay away from it!"

"Shoot it!"

"How did it get past the border without being shot down?"

A multitude of voices and concerns filled the hall, bouncing off the walls and each other. Rayla stood quietly off to the side watching them bicker with one another for quite some time before it started to die down, heads turning to the front of the hall by the great fire. Following their gaze, she lands upon a sight both surprising and not - Ethari, calm amongst the storm as always, crow perched in one hand and an open letter in the other. The village held their silence, waiting to hear the contents of the strange message.

Instead of reading it aloud, he directs worried eyes towards his husband, who crosses the room with large strides to peer over his shoulder. Sharing a lost look with one another, Runaan takes the letter and begins to read it out to the waiting crowd.

"The kingdom of Katolis, as of the first day of this summer passing, is to be declared as a neutral realm, no longer to act in malice against our brothers of the Earth. War between humanity and Xadia has been allowed to persist for too long, with needless deaths and destruction littering both sides. Katolis accepts our role in the war, and it is our desire to attempt to make amends. Contained within this letter is an invitation, a promise, and a wish.

The invitation - a gala will be held on the coming summer solstice, an invite has been sent to each of the major elven townships and to each of the Great Dragons, admitting a small party of attendees. The promise - as a show of good faith and to support our intentions, Katolian troops have been recalled from the fortress on the breach. No further pursuit towards the lands of Xadia will commence in our name. And finally, a wish - that the next human boots on Xadian lands will be in peace, not hate.

Parties attending are asked to come unarmed as we have laid down our own arms, though if desired this request can be declined with no repercussion. It is understood that with recent relations tensions may be high, and we desire for everyone to feel most comfortable.

Acceptances can be returned by crow to the court of Katolis.

King Harrow."

An adorraburr could have been heard squeaking in the hall, the silence that followed was so thick. It did not take long for the shouting and bickering to return, far louder than before Runaan's announcement.

Rayla chose that as her cue to sneak out the back, leaving the rest to their debates and arguments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many remained hesitant towards the upcoming gala but the accepted invitations slowly trickled in. As the expected numbers increased, the kingdom of Katolis grew more and more busy setting up for the event - stockpiling food and drink and entertainment.

The gala was just just over a week away, and Claudia was busy enchanting various parts of the décor; creating everlasting torches and fireplaces, levitating banners and streamers, and even charming some instruments to play without a user. She was so intuned to her task she did not feel the eyes watching her flit about the grand ballroom. King Harrow crossed the room towards her, and speaks her name to draw her attention to him once close enough.

"Claudia."

Turning to see who had appeared next to her, she beams a bright smile and gestures happily towards some floating candles.

"Well... what do you think? I personally think I've outdone myself."

"They're very nice, some great work you've done helping set up."

She continues to smile happily at him, and he takes a breath before speaking his reason for approaching.

"Claudia... I'm going to have to request that you refrain from using your... talents, during the gala."

The smile is replaced by a confused frown.

"But it's not real dark magic! I'm not hurting anyone."

Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, he looks at her with an apology in his eyes.

"I know that, but our guests do not, and I do not think they would be understanding. I'm sorry, but it is only for a couple of days until everyone has left."

He does not mean to upset her, but it would not do well to have any possible misunderstandings occur during the gala, especially over something that could be avoided.

"Yes, sir," she replies, eyes downcast.

"Ah ah ah, no 'sir' here, it's still just Harrow to you."

He gives her a playful nudge with his elbow, trying to keep the mood light. She continues her work in the ballroom once he leaves, with a little less spring in her step.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayla was surprised when her parents arrived back in the Silvergrove, she had not been expecting them for another few weeks. Jogging towards the town square where she knew they'd stop to check in with her uncle, she caught sight of her father tying up their mounts outside the town hall - her mother must already be inside.

Taking off into a full sprint, she aimed for his turned back. She got just close enough that she would be able to leap the last few steps to pounce on him, but in the split-second of her foot leaving the ground Lain spun around and caught her smoothly in his arms. Grinning at her smugly, he spins around a few times before letting her go.

"You'll have to be a lot faster than that to catch me off guard, little wisp."

"It was worth a try. You're home early?"

His happy expression slips from his features, and he heaves a sigh.

"Unfortunately, this is not a leisure visit. We are to attend the human gala on behalf of the Dragon King. Since Runaan and Ethari are attending, we felt it best to travel together."

"Wait, so you're all going?"

"I'm afraid so. The others have their mixed feelings and truthfully I would rather not go either, but I also hope in my heart that it could be our first step towards change."

Frowning at the answer, she kicks at some dirt under her feet, before asking her next question.

"Can I come?"

Her father pauses in his motion towards the door to the hall, an entire debate warring across his face before settling on an answer as old as the Dragon King himself.

"Ask your mother."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Absolutely not! Humanity is not to be trusted, I will not risk my daughter's life by bringing you right into their castle!"

"But mum... I'll be fine! I'm a trained warrior now, I'm able to protect myself! If anything happens, I'll even just disappear and get out of there. Please... pretty please?"

Tiadrin stood with her arms crossed, she was not at all amused. Looking firmly exasperated, she directed a look to her husband and her brothers - who were watching this debate - intending to ask for their input. Only to be greeted by three similar hopeful expressions to the one her daughter currently sported.

After several long moments staring them down did nothing to deflate their stance, she tossed her arms into the air with a grumble.

"Ugh, fine! You can come. But I mean it Rayla, if anything happens - anything at all - you are to get yourself out immediately. Do not be playing hero, this is serious."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She wrapped her mother up in a hug, who maintained her stern expression for another few seconds before relenting and returning the embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They set out on their journey to Katolis the following morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> In this AU I've diverged from canon and had Harrow take the same peaceful stance as Ezran later did, so the Dragon King and his son are still alive in Xadia instead of he and Viren taking revenge for Sarai. This is why Viren is so angry, he doesn't understand why Harrow can look past the hurt and try for peace instead. 
> 
> Please leave a comment below if you want and let me know what you think of the fic so far!
> 
> And Happy Holidays to everyone! :)


	6. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, exams kicked the shit out of me and I've struggled getting back into this story, but I'm back at it now and should be fairly consistent for the next wee while. This is an extra big update, to make up for the long wait. 
> 
> If anyone wants to follow me on Tumblr, my URL is shallitickleyournerdbutton, if you do follow me send me a message and let me know you've come from here. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

The night of the gala arrived, and with it swept up the attention of the whole kingdom. Nobles and important figures from all over the land made their presence known - elves and humans alike dressed in their best finery, hiding wary glances and snide remarks towards one another under the illusion of civility. Most of the elven attendees had opted to retain their weapons and armaments, as was allowed by the strict rules imposed on all guests within the castle. In order to reiterate the pacifist stance of his kingdom, King Harrow had insisted that the only Katolian forces permitted to be armed during the gala were the Crownguard of Katolis, and that they would be present to enforce a zero-tolerance policy regarding any disagreements between parties - any individuals found to be a little too eager to raise their blades would be immediately removed from the castle.

The King had just held his opening address to the ballroom, welcoming all and wishing them a night of entertainment and camaraderie. As was beginning to become an expectation for many, there was a certain presence missing from the King's side. The routine of having to locate her conspicuously missing father was quickly becoming a constant in Claudia's life these days, and she trudged along the hallway towards his gloomy office anticipating the usual dodging of her questions about his whereabouts.

Stepping across the threshold, the sight of scattered papers and multiple spellbooks littering most of the surfaces that were available was a familiar one. Now, her father sometimes got a little too involved in his research and she knew that, but to her knowledge there was no task requiring such an investment of resources these days.

Stopping to peruse through one of the open books, she neglected to announce her presence to her father's turned back. As he turned towards her, head buried deep in a journal, he startled and dropped the book with a dull thump on the hard floor.

"Damn it, Claudia! What have I said about sneaking around when I'm working?"

Having been told off for the same thing countless times before, Claudia had the decency to wince before apologising.

Viren only held his irritated expression for a moment longer, before leaning down to recover the journal he had dropped. In doing so, it allowed Claudia a chance to inspect him without being watched back. And something was a little bit off...

"Uh, dad? You have a little something on your ear..."

Gesturing loosely to her own ear, she directed a teasing expression towards him, flicking her finger between her own ear and his as if to further encourage him to investigate what she was pointing at. Taking a gentle hold of her hand as it got progressively closer to his face, he inhaled a deep breath to school his voice and patience, before addressing her concerns.

"Yes I am aware, thank you, Claudia. You don't need to keep pointing at it. The purple creature helps me with my work, and it is to be left alone."

"If you say so... Speaking of work, the party has started already, should we head down together?"

Viren looked thoughtfully back towards his office, pondering something, before turning and offering an arm to his daughter.

"I suppose I am ready, shall we?"

Taking the offered arm, Claudia half drags her father in the direction of the ballroom, taking the opportunity to chat his ear off during their stroll.

"It's so exciting to finally get to meet some elves, don't you think? There must be some other mages down there, it's a shame we can't join in with them though, I don't think King Harrow would be very happy. He's taking this all very seriously, I think it'll be fun though don't you?"

Viren remains silent for a few moments after her question, and they draw nearer to the entrance to the ballroom. As the main doors come into view at the end of the hall, Viren stops the two of them and turns to his daughter.

"I know you're excited for the gala, but do not lose focus while in there. The elves are not be trusted, and I fear things may not go smoothly tonight. Do you understand, Claudia?"

She doesn't, not really. The elves had willingly come to Katolis, they had been invited here, so why would they risk causing trouble in foreign lands? Regardless, Claudia has always trusted her father's judgement and would continue to do so. It did not help the uneasy feeling settling low in her stomach.

Opting against speaking, she simply nods in response. Her father presses a quick kiss to her head, before separating from her and heading into the ballroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Entering the ballroom, Claudia scouts out the crowd before spotting Soren off to the side, drink in hand and watching the dancers. She floats her way through the crowd to appear by his side, as he sees her approach he swipes a glass of wine from a passing waiter's tray and holds it out to her. She accepts the glass and takes a couple small sips, allowing herself to enjoy Soren's presence by her side for a few moments. Soren sways on his feet - whether it's from the alcohol or the music is unclear.

"Hey, Soren."

He sends a goofy smile her way, and wraps a heavy arm around her shoulder, sweaty under his armour and a little too close. It's somehow still comforting.

"Hey, Clauds! You enjoying the party?"

"Hah, yea... it's great. Should you be drinking?"

"I mean, probably not. But dad's not here and the King and General are super busy, so no one is really caring."

Punctuating his statement, he polishes off the last of his drink. It's irritating, and Claudia isn't too sure why.

"Right... anyways, speaking of dad, has he said anything weird to you?"

Soren snorts loudly, and gives her an incredulous look.

"Dad is always saying weird stuff, that's pretty much all he does. And what is the deal with his creepy little bug pal?! I tried to squish it, and he freaked out."

"He seems really unhappy about the elves being here, like even more so than I would have expected."

The decision not to comment on Viren's 'little bug pal' is deliberate; it's not exactly Claudia's place to criticise considering she regularly parades around with her own familiars, and something about her father's reaction when it was mentioned continues to tug at the bottom of her stomach.

Soren just shrugs as his answer, "Honestly Clauds, I'm just happy he's got something else to be focusing on than watching over my shoulder."

"Fine, just keep your wits tonight. And don't be getting too drunk either, dad might not be watching but I am."

Something over Claudia's shoulder halts his imminent pouting, a voice being cleared draws her attention in the same direction.

Callum, dressed smartly in his best clothes, bows low in front of her with a flourish. His boyish smile as he straightens is more charming in its intent than its execution. Rosy cheeks hint at the application of some liquid courage.

"Good evening, Claudia. You're looking beautiful tonight, would you care for a dance?"

At the first sound of Soren's muffled laughter, she snaps a hand out to pinch his side, warning clear. Callum looks at her expectantly, arm offered out and chest puffed up.

"Aww Callum, don't you just look like a shiny penny tonight! I'm sorry though, I've got to help keep an eye on the gala. Maybe later, when it's quietened down a little?"

He's cute, and she loves him a lot, but it's not the same way he feels for her. Credit where credit is due, Callum takes the refusal on the chin in a very princely manner, though his demeanor does deflate like a pricked soufflé.

"Oh, yea sure... later works too."

With the new opening, and incentive to leave, she wishes the boys a nice night, but makes a point to bump her shoulder playfully to Callum's on her way past. It seems to help lift some of the embarrassment he's probably feeling, and he smiles at her as she walks off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watching Claudia's retreating back, Soren wraps a similarly heavy and sweaty arm around Callum's neck and leans far too much of his weight onto the young prince, forcing an indignant squak from his throat. Attempts to shove him off are futile - Soren commits to few things with as much determination as he does to his pestering of Callum.

"Women. They're a strange breed, right Step-Prince? Doesn't help that you're aiming for one of the weirdest in the bunch."

Accepting his role as an armrest for the moment, Callum nods a solemn agreement to the statement.

"I do not understand girls."

The thought of taking pity on his surrogate little brother is but a fleeting one, as Soren's attention is caught by something on the other side of the ballroom and an idea plants itself in his mind.

Across the sea of people, humans and elves finally mingling more as the night and the drinks continue, a lone Moonshadow elf sits sipping at a drink and avoiding interacting with the other attendees. Unlike most of the elves present, this one looked to be roughly their age, and with that recognition Soren's plan became a possibility.

"You know, there's a lot more than just human girls here tonight..."

He gives another squeeze to Callum's neck, and points a gloved hand in the elf's direction.

"Why not go ask her to dance? I'm sure the King would be happy to see you making the effort, what with the whole 'foreign relations' thing you royals are known for."

The eyebrow wiggle, while unnecessary, is effective. Callum balks, and his shoving of Soren is granted a new wind.

"I can't do that! And Claudia already rejected me, I dont know if I can handle another one tonight."

"Exactly! You've been rejected once, so the damage is already done. Go on, you know you want to..."

Soren shoves Callum away and towards the girl, and they both scuffle with each other for a few brief moments before they begin to draw dirty looks from bystanders.

"You know what? You're right, what have I got to lose?"

Taking a few moments to right his clothes and comb a hand through his hair, Callum turns in the girl's direction and puffs his chest back up as best he can before heading towards his new objective.

Soren hides his laughter behind another beer stein.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Rayla was begging to be allowed to come to the gala, she expected it to be a bit more... interesting? Truthfully, she did not really know what she wanted to happen tonight either, but making small talk with dozens of people she only sort of knows... well, that wasn't it, that's for sure. Doing what she does best, she found a little corner of the vast ballroom to hide in and try to wait out the rest of the evening.

And her plan had been working. Until now.

Human footsteps were clumsy, especially to her trained ears, and she turned expectantly to face whoever it was approaching her with a scowl. She was done socialising tonight.

The look did manage to get the boy to falter, but with a glance over his shoulder at something in the distance, he continued his path towards her, arriving at the edge of the table mere feet away from where she sat. Smiling brightly, he extends a hand and introduces himself.

"Hey, my name is Callum. You looked a bit lonely over here, and I figured since this whole thing is supposed to get us all interacting again, it would be nice to say hello. So, uh, hello! Would you like to dance? With me, I mean."

His hand has been waiting between them for the full duration of his introduction, and she looks at it instead of answering. Callum seems to realise he's been holding it out for far too long, and begins to sheepishly lower it back to his side, clearly debating running for the metaphorical hills. The sharp bark of laughter from the direction he was peering in earlier draws Rayla's attention to a tall, blond guard who is clearly watching this interaction with no shortage of mirth.

It also draws Callum's attention too, and she can see the red tinge of humiliation rising up his neck and across his face. Nodding towards the guard's general area, she addresses Callum before he has the chance to run away.

"Did he send you over here?"

"Um... yea, sort of. That's Soren, he's a bit of an ass. It was kind of his idea."

Deciding she could afford to expend a little more energy tonight, and not wanting to assist with "Soren's" torment of the sad little human boy, Rayla plasters on one more bright smile and lifts a four-fingered hand between them.

"Nice to meet you, Callum. My name is Rayla. I'm not in much of a mood for dancing tonight, but if you want to sit and hide here with me for a bit, I don't mind."

With a beaming smile, Callum accepts the waiting hand and gives it an eager shake, plopping himself down in a seat across from her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Callum's company is surprisingly fun, and the two of them spend a few hours just chatting about their respective people and lands and magic and all sorts of other things. It's easy, hiding away in a corner and pretending the world doesn't exist - and they've polished off a flagon of wine between them, which helps a little, she supposes.

Rayla blames the booze for being startled so easily when another human boy comes charging over to Callum, calling out for him and chatting too fast to be understood. Seeing Callum also alarmed by his sudden and loud appearance, she placates herself with reassurances that clearly this child does things like this often. And Callum clearly knows him.

"Whoa, whoa, Ezran slow down... You know I can't understand you when you're speaking so fast."

The boy takes a deep breath, before he repeats himself in a deliberately slow fashion that only slightly insinuates condescension.

"We're playing hide-and-seek-Bait and we think he's wandered off again, have you seen him anywhere?"

"Ezran, it's way too busy in here to be playing that. If you've lost him, you should go ask the guards to help look for him. And who's 'we'?"

"Me and my elf friends! They think he's really cool, we've been playing together all night and they're so nice, you should come meet them..."

As wrapped up in his conversation as he was, Ezran took a moment to acknowledge Rayla also sitting besides Callum and turned to give her a little wave of hello. Waving back, there was a gnawing thought at the back of her mind.

"Wait...Ezran? As in 'Crown Prince Ezran of Katolis'?"

Both boys made identical scrunched up faces at the use of the long title. Callum was the one to answer the question.

"Yea, he's my brother. Well, half-brother, but still."

"You've waited an awfully long time to tell me you're a prince, Callum."

Squirming a little under the scrutiny, he flushes again.

"I guess I kinda forgot? I don't really think of myself as one."

Ezran was stood peering between the two of them, big blue eyes not sure who he should be focusing on. Curiousity eventually won out, and he squints at Rayla for a moment.

"Are you a normal Moonshadow elf?"

It's hard not to be a smidge offended at that question, child or not. Her good mood from the chat and the wine is still flowing, fortunately for little Ezran.

And Callum's mortified face makes up for it slightly.

"I suppose that depends on who you ask, really. What made you ask me that?"

He squints at her again, "I'm not sure, you just... seem different. From the rest."

He continues to look at her for another short moment, before nodding to himself at something and bidding Callum his farewell, running off to presumably find his other friends.

"Hey, look I'm sorry about him, he means well just doesn't know that there are things you don't ask people..."

Honestly, Rayla wouldn't be at all surprised if Ezran wasn't the first to voice that question. It bothers her, deep in her chest, too many tiny things and differences, creating the kind of girl who prefers to hide in corners of vast ballrooms and not in their centre.

Preparing to reassure Callum, reassure as she always had - "I'm fine", "it doesn't matter", "I'm better on my own" - a welcome distraction presents itself on the dancefloor she had been resolutely avoiding all night.

She catches Callum's attention, pointing just past his ridiculous little round ear to where the blond guard - "Soren" - is being screamed at by a pissed-off Sunfire elf. She's clutching at a dainty shoe-covered foot and making quite the scene, even from the distance it's easy to see Soren squirming under the attention unwillingly bestowed upon him. Glancing around frantically, his search for help falls flat when he lands his sight on the two of them laughing at his expense before he bolts off into the crowd, armour clanking off various people and furniture.

Callum wipes an eye, wet from laughing, "That's what he gets for being such an ass!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her father's warning plays in her mind, over and over and over again, grinding away at any excitement about the gala and reducing it to shards by her feet not unlike the window she smashed as a child.

Hours have flown by, the festivities persevered and everyone was enjoying themselves...

Everyone except Claudia.

Patrolling the outskirts of the party, she had dodged many more than just Callum's request at a dance. Not that she didn't want to dance - she did, truly and deeply - but every time she wanted to accept, his voice would ring in the back of her mind, warning.

_The elves are not to be trusted..._  
_The elves are not to be trusted..._  
_**The elves are not to be trusted...**_

Heartbeat rising, she escapes to the periphery of the ballroom, leaning heavy against a rough old tapestry. The feeling of it rubbing slightly through the back of her silk dress helps to calm her and root her back in the room, she gazes out unseeing across the crowd letting her breathing calm and trying to do the same for her thoughts.

A shrill scream echoes from just through the doorway by her side, and before she has the chance to consider her actions she forces the door open, magic tingling against the palm of her hand and prepared to strike-

A bunch of kids?

There's at least half a dozen kids, some human and some elven, frozen like deer and staring at where she has just barged into the hallway they've apparently been playing in. And a few equally startled guards, all pointing their weapons at her and looking decidedly bewildered at the violent intrusion.

Chuckling nervously, she extinguishes the spell at her fingertips and holds her hands in front of her, but no amount of hand-waving is going to make her look any less strange right now.

"Sorry sorry sorry, I heard a scream and thought someone was hurt. Don't mind me, just go back to your game guys!"

She turns to leave, and bumps into Ezran coming through the same door she practically almost kicked in a few moments ago. He smiles happily at her and presents Bait proudly to her.

"Look I found him! And I didn't even need to ask the guards!"

"Um...that's great buddy? I didn't know you'd lost him?"

His face scrunches up a little, confused, before he lowers Bait back down, "Oh... sorry, I forgot I just told Callum and his new friend."

"Callum has a new friend?"

"Yea, she's a Moonshadow elf, she's weird and I like her."

Well, that gives her a laugh at least. The world needs more weirdos in it, if you ask her.

"Aww well that's good, happy for him. I'll let you get back to your game, Ezran."

She ruffles his puffy hair on her way back into the ballroom, nerves every bit as on edge as they've been all night and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon re-entering the gala, Claudia stands awkwardly by the door to the hall, watching the people intermingle with one another.

_I'd been so looking forward to this... Everyone else is having fun, so why can't I?_

A glance out a set of large, looming windows reveals little - dark sky beyond reflecting no more than her own pale image against the blur of people behind her. Taking a calming breath, she turns back to the ballroom, spotting Soren's blond head passing through the crowd in front of her. Following after him in search of something to comfort her, she reaches his side after a few attempts at calling for his attention fail, reaching out to grab for his arm.

Expecting his usual smile, the flustered and downtrodden expression on his face unsteadies her further.

"Hey Sorbear... are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm alright. Don't ask any Sunfire elves to dance, they're scary."

She considers asking for further information on how they're 'scary', but decides she doesn't actually really want to know right now. She has enough to be thinking about, still trying to shake the anxiety that's been clinging to her all evening. Wrapping herself around one of Soren's arms, she half cuddles into him and he wraps an arm around her in return.

He looks down worriedly at the top of her head, "Are you okay, Clauds? You've not really been yourself tonight. You didn't even tease Callum earlier for asking you to dance."

Idea popping into her head, she squeezes his arm tightly again before pulling away, bowing low to him in her best mimic of how Callum did earlier and puffing out her chest the same way he always does when he's trying to look mature. She stands up with flair that'd make a Startouch elf jealous, nose tilted to the ceiling and one arm rigid against her side, other offered out towards her brother.

"How very astute of you, good sir! And may I say you're looking very handsome tonight, would you care for a dance?"

She holds her pompous stance for as long as she can before they both burst into laughter. Which isn't for very long, at all. Breaking character as fast as she adapted it, she offers a hand out to Soren once their laughs have died down a little, smile gentle on her face.

"Really though, think we could both use a dance. What do you say?"

He takes her hand in his, spinning her and dragging her bodily into the crowd of dancers. Laughter spills out of her at his childish enthusiasm, and they join in with the rest of the couples dancing to a light song being played by the band.

Both of them, individually, are good dancers - but something about Soren always brings out her silly side. Their dance begins formally, following in step with the crowd around them, before beginning to slowly deteriorate as they indulge each other. Eventually they end up swirling around in a makeshift circle somewhere in the middle of the ballroom, other dancers giving them a wide berth and no shortage of irritated looks as they ignore the correct dance moves in favour of their own.

It's enough to occupy her thoughts, finally - being able to focus on Soren and forget about everything else. He has always been there to make her feel better, or to at least distract her.

A few songs pass this way, until they have to stop and draw their breaths back, laughing as they flee the dancefloor with a few shouts being targeted at their backs from disgruntled nobles. They distance themselves from the crowd, Claudia subconsciously leaving a scatter of her attention behind her on the dancefloor for reasons that become apparent.

The shouts don't stop. They get louder, turning into screams as the torches and fires Claudia didn't enchant begin to flicker out. The two siblings stop cold and look at each other, blood draining from both their faces as the crowd begin to panic and flee.

From what, however, is still unclear.

Their view of the ballroom is already obstructed by the amount of people, and the diminishing light sources aren't helping. Ignoring the King's request against using magic, Claudia relights a handful of lanterns nearby as Soren runs off to find the King and other guards.

She is about to follow his lead and go searching for her dad, but a thought halts her movements and sends a spike of panic down her back.

_Where are the boys?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayla really should know better than to complain about anything being boring, considering her track record of the less-than-boring happening around her. There's a lot of things Rayla should do, such as listen to her mother when she's told not to do something.

But then she wouldn't be our Rayla, would she?

The decision is already made for her when the chaos starts, and only further reinforced when Ezran - Prince Ezran - comes running over to Callum, an ugly glowing frog in his arms who she can only assume is the "Bait" he was searching for earlier. Drawing her blades from their holsters, there is barely enough time to question Ezran about what he's seen before the answer becomes apparent.

Growing seemingly from the darkness, a smokey figure crosses towards their corner of the ballroom in supernaturally large steps, weapon drawn and aiming directly for Ezran. She blocks its attack with her blade, sharing a few blows before landing one directly into its abdomen.

When her blade slashes right through it with no impact, she knocks its weapon hard instead, flinging the figure's arm out away from its body and forcing it off balance to give them a few seconds to move.

Keeping one sword aimed in its direction, she turns and shoves a frozen Callum hard in the direction of a hallway behind him.

"What are you doing? Move!"

Snapping out of his trance, Callum grabs his brother's hand, dragging him out of the ballroom and away from the shadow assassin with Rayla following closely behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Climbing clumsily up onto a nearby table, Claudia scans across the crowd trying to catch sight of Callum or Ezran. The tell-tale glowing disappearing down one of the hallways on the other side of the ballroom is about as good a hint to their location as she is going to get - wherever Bait is, Ezran is usually not too far away.

She forces her way through the panicking crowd, pushing and shoving anyone in her path until she reaches the doors to the hallway, bursting through them like she had earlier.

Claudia expects the boys. What Claudia gets, is a sword held to her face.

On instinct, and adrenaline, she casts a quick spell that disarms the elf in front of her, sending her main sword swirling back through the air several feet to land with a clatter on the hard floor. She keeps some magic tingling against the palm of her hand, ready to cast again if needed.

"Callum, Ezran, get behind me. I'll protect you from the elf. She takes one step and I'll end her."

Quickly shaking the surprise at losing one of her swords so easily, Rayla refocuses her attention on the mage now standing between them and the ballroom, remaining sword held closer to her chest.

"Let's see you try that one again, witch."

The boys look worriedly between the two girls, unsure what to do. Telling Ezran to stay out of the way, Callum takes slow, hesitant steps across the hall until he's in-between the two girls and blocking their view of each other as they stare each other down.

Growing frustrated at their lack of compliance, Claudia voices the thought crossing her mind aloud, both to encourage the boys and to irritate the elf in front of her, "Dad was right, we should never have trusted elves. This was always going to happen."

Never one to be spoken down to, Rayla snorts loudly at the comment, "That's fucking rich coming from you! This whole thing has dark magic all over it, and how convenient that we run right into a dirty dark mage the second shit goes wrong."

The accusation must have hit its mark, as the mage targeted her next blast of magic not towards Callum's poor attempt at being a meat shield, but towards the chandelier hanging above Rayla's head. It crashed to the ground, sending both boys scrambling to the outskirts of the passageway and out of its range, and landed directly on the spot where Rayla had been standing.

Where she had been standing, that is.

In the second it took for Claudia's triumph to turn to confusion, a hard impact against her ribs knocked all the air from her lungs and sent her stumbling backwards and onto the ground. Materialising from thin air, Rayla pins her to the ground, blade of her sword pressing sharply against Claudia's throat with a severely pissed-off look on her face.

"Guys, watch out!"

Two more of the shadow figures have followed them into the hallway, and are moving fast towards the girls prone on the ground. Reacting first, Rayla shoves herself up and drags a still winded Claudia to her feet, and pushes her behind and towards the boys with her free hand.

She counters attacks from both, doing what she can to keep them from advancing further down the hall. None of the attacks to their bodies hit, passing through the smoke as they had with the first one. Using the same tactic, Rayla targets the only solid part of the apparitions - their weapons - and succeeds at knocking one back a few feet.

As she stops to catch her breath, another blast of magic whizzes past her head, impacting the shadow and turning it to stone. Pausing to send a surprised glance back, she catches sight of a revived Claudia primed to cast again - a quick survey of her person fails to reveal what magic source she is using to fuel her magic.

The intention behind her searching look must have been clear on her face because when she meets the mage's eye, she winks back with a smirk.

The second shadow's lunging attack provides a welcome distraction to the heat rising up her neck.

Working in tandem now, they repeat the sequence of moves again - Rayla blocking and forcing the shadow figure back, and Claudia landing the finishing blow, turning it to stone like its partner. The seconds tick by as the foursome wait with baited breath for anything else to come down the passageway.

When it seems they are in the clear, the tension is broken by Ezran's loud cheer echoing down the corridor.

He bounces Bait in his arms as he shouts, "Woo-hoo!"

Hushing Ezran, Callum puts an arm around his brother as he studies the two girls, who are trying to steady themselves after the adrenaline rush. Standing together, Claudia turns and offers her hand to Rayla.

"My name is Claudia. I'm sorry for earlier, I shouldn't have attacked you without listening."

"Putting a sword to your throat wasn't the best first impression, it was my fault too. I'm Rayla."

They both turn and catch the two boys staring unabashedly at them, Callum grinning at the two.

"You know, you two actually make a pretty good team."

Ignoring both his comment and goofy smile, Rayla retrieves her fallen sword before approaching one of the stone assassins and gives it a rough tap on the forehead with the blunt side. She feels more than sees the matching flinches from the three behind her at the brazen action.

Now that they hold a solid form, the features of the figures can be clearly made out - pointed ears and horns notable features. Rayla feels the presence of the other girl peering over her shoulder just as she voices her thoughts.

"They're elves... but this isn't our magic. I don't know what these are."

She turns to meet Claudia's gaze - only slightly annoyed at having to look up a few inches to do so - to find the other girl clearly pondering something, face serious as she studies the figures.

The attempt to ask what she was thinking was thwarted by the sharp and irrited call from behind the statues.

"Rayla!"

"Oh, no..."

Claudia did not know that elves' ears would react to their mood before now, the sight of the Moonshadow elf's ears deflating alongside her entire demeanor almost comical.

The group's heads whipped to the entrance back into the ballroom where the voice had come from and are greeted with the source of Rayla's discomfort - another Moonshadow elf, older and not unlike Rayla in looks, clearly a relative. The new arrival surveys the state of the corridor, scrutinising the stone figures in the centre, before landing her attention back on her target.

"We're leaving, we've been looking everywhere for you! Move it."

Still looking the image of a kicked glow toad, Rayla makes her way to her mother's side.

Ezran pulls away from Callum to run up and hug Rayla from behind, "Bye Rayla! It was nice meeting you."

Turning back to return the hug, she gives a small smile and wave to Callum and Claudia. Both elves vanish behind the heavy doors, leaving the humans to ponder the strange events of the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The week long journey back to the Silvergrove granted Tiadrin more than enough time to sufficiently lecture her daughter about not running headfirst into danger.

Rayla would have rathered the shadow assassins struck her down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It also gave her plenty of time to wonder about the odd mage girl, and her mystery magics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this story:  
> Moonshadow Elves are clearly meant to be based on us Scots, so I'm honouring that with the inclusion of Rayla regularly swearing at some of the most ridiculous parts in the story. It's realistic! We swear ALLLL the fucking time, man. #LetRaylaSayFuck!
> 
> And yes, the older teens are having a boozy drink during the gala - it's far from unusual for teenagers to have a few drinks at family events or other big things, especially back-in-the-day like in most fantasy stories.   
>    
> I hope my characterisation of Claudia in this chapter is okay, all it takes is one comment from someone you trust to get into your head and it's so hard to shake that feeling once it's there. 
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a comment below!


	7. By Order of the King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, I saw a post on Tumblr about this lockdown coronavirus stuff which is a gif of John Mulaney captioned "I know y'all have WIPs to finish." And was feeling very called out. 
> 
> So here it is, a new chapter. I have the next few planned out, just need to get the finger out and write them. 
> 
> As always, if you want to follow me on Tumblr here's my URL, drop me a message if you do! @ shallitickleyournerdbutton
> 
> Enjoy!

It is unclear if there were any casualties on Xadia's side, as they were quick to fight and to flee at the first sign of trouble, unsurprisingly. Waiting quietly, the trio taking refuge in the hallway listen past the door both Moonshadow elves had disappeared through not long ago, for hints as to what lies beyond. 

There is a commotion of sorts, clanking sounds of armoured guards bustling around, but not necessarily that of a battle. Claudia gestures to the princes to stay behind the door, before pushing it open enough to look into the ballroom. At her appearance, a guard quickly approaches and barks a question at her. 

"We are searching for the princes, have you seen Prince Ezran or Prince Callum?"

His voice is abrupt and too loud for everything that has just transpired, she cringes slightly even as she pushes the door wide enough to reveal the princes - both safe, if a little shaken. The guard immediately moves to take position by their side and guide them into ballroom, startling for a brief second at the stone assassins still frozen mid-lunge in the hall. Claudia feels him eyeing her even as he leads the princes past her and towards the head of the ballroom where a crowd has gathered. Claudia can see her brother's dyed blond hair amongst the crowd, and by his side her father's back faces her. 

Looking around at the destroyed ballroom as they walk, at first the crowd is assumed to be assessing the damage sustained this evening, harsh whispered words carrying across the now-deserted grand hall. As they get closer, one by one the crowd notice their approach and start to fall silent, such as children might when caught talking about something they shouldn't. 

One voice, that would have been expected to be heard above all the others, was conspicuously missing. The confusion on her face must have been clear, as when Soren catches her eye, the sullen expression he sports speaks more than any voice could. 

Callum freezes in his steps by her side. It seems, he must have noticed too. 

Ezran continues ahead of them, oblivious, out of either of their reach before they can stop him pressing into the crowd. Fortunately, he lacks the strength to push full grown adults out of his way with much speed, and is quickly approached by Opeli. She crouches down to his height, and speaks soft words to him, softer than Claudia has ever heard from her.

Soft words rarely make these things any less hard. In Claudia's experience, the gentler the words, the sharper the pain. 

Blood rushes in her ears, standing frozen as Ezran cries into Opeli's arms before she is replaced by Callum. His movements are sluggish and slow, face pale and blank, he has been struck by shock instead of absorbing it. 

The crowd move with the boys, doing their best to block their view of where the Fair King has fallen. From where she stands the view is clear, watching as Pip flutters worriedly around a head of dark hair, matting with blood. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katolis mourns their seven sunsets for their lost king. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The funeral is beautiful.

Claudia and her father assist with the service. At the send off, Viren gestures for her to light the pyre to finally release his soul back to the Nether. When she moves forward and claims a torch from a member of the procession, the briefest flicker of surprise crosses his face - he had clearly been expecting her to light it differently.

Returning to her father's side, she can feel the question being directed at her through his eyes. Using magic at this moment felt inappropriate, and she ignores him in favour of taking Callum's hand in hers as he stands silent watching the fire catch and grow. Ezran clutches his other hand, looking down at Bait and not the fire as smoke drifts high in the sky. 

Without King Harrow's voice, the ceremony feels incomplete. His calm voice has been the one constant presence for the people of Katolis for a generation, and while Opeli does her best, she is not him. 

The funeral is beautiful. 

The quiet is ugly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

News eventually travels to Xadia. Many were wounded at the gala, elves and humans alike, but there was only one death - King Harrow himself. The elves have mixed feelings - unsure who to trust, but mostly thankful none of their own were killed. 

There exists a smaller group who are slighted by this, as they claim it frames them as the culprits, attacking the human King due to him being the only loss. 

_"Would have looked better if an elf or two had fallen,"_ some say. 

The attitude of wishing the loss of their own for the sake of appearances settles a sick feeling low in Rayla's stomach. Arguing against this view in the town hall does little other than leave her red-faced and angry, and she distances herself from the rest, just as Xadia distances itself from humanity once again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Long after the Moon has risen in the sky and she should have returned home, light rustling of foliage and footsteps approaching her hiding spot in the forest are expected. The simple fact she can hear the approach informs her of who it is coming to seek her out - the one member of the family who isn't a trained fighter, large boots crunching on top of the undergrowth and not stepping over it as the others would. 

"Go away, Ethari."

His chuckle is soft but she still catches it. Not that he'd ever comment on it, but Ethari can see her bristle even more at the sound, aura almost as prickly as the stubble on his chin. 

"Now, when has 'go away, Ethari' ever worked for you?"

A scowl is his only answer. He plops himself down next to her on the grass and stretches long legs in front of him, shoes much closer to the river's edge than hers, sitting quietly and waiting for her to voice her thoughts, as he always has. It takes a few moments before she speaks, he is content to give her all the time she needs. 

Fortunately, tonight she doesn't need much. Frustration bubbles out of her as she turns to him, brow low and looking very much like her mother in a strop. 

"How can you agree with them?! Wishing harm to our own people just for appearances... What has appearance ever done for anyone? It's disgusting."

"I don't agree with them, not really. It's not like you to get so wound up by one of those meetings, though. You've not said much since we got back..."

The space between them is deliberately left empty, an invitation for the thoughts in her mind to be spoken. Ethari watches her wrestle with something, continuing to simmer under the surface of her own psyche, before a quiet question is asked of him. 

"Did you get a proper look at the things that attacked us?"

It's not what he expected, fully believing her to be upset about something closer to home. Still, he answers honestly, intrigued about her end goal. 

"No, I can't say I did. Why do you ask?"

"They were elves."

Tiadrin had said something about that to them once they'd arrived home. He begins to say as much, but she cuts him off again. 

"I don't think they were made by elves, and I don't think they were after us either... The boys that were with me, they were King Harrow's sons. The assassins weren't after us, they were after the princes."

Ethari is not surprised to hear that Rayla had kept the identity of who she was with quiet, after what had happened. Still, the implications of what she was saying... They are troubling. 

"It seems there are those in the human kingdoms who are not all too pleased with the late King, enough to take matters into their own hands, perhaps? Runaan did mention the Archmage was missing from the majority of the event."

"Maybe... I'm not sure, I fought beside a dark mage during the attack, but she seemed just as puzzled by them." 

She pauses, chuckling to herself at a thought. At Ethari's crooked eyebrow, she lets him in on the amusement. 

"Let's just say I don't think she's had much battle experience, took me all of about three seconds to put her on the ground."

"Seems she has also left an impression on you, to still be thinking about that."

Never one to let an opportunity to tease pass him by, he speaks with the same fake-nonchalance he tends to favour, face straight as he waits for the words to sink into the flesh at her ribs and prick her composure. Catching her eye, he smiles lowly at her to emphasise his jest at her. Rayla laughs even as she shoves at his shoulder, a sound he didn't realise had been missing ever since their trip to the human kingdom. 

"I'm trying to be serious here!"

While her family know now that she sometimes prefers the fairer sex - thanks to an embarrassing crush on the village blacksmith's daughter years ago that is not to be mentioned upon threat of maiming - Ethari and Lujanne are the only two that still make a point to tease her about various things related to her nonexistent love life. 

(Her father tried once. Once.)

After the two's laughter subsides, a quiet settles over them. Fidgeting with the armband around her wrist, Rayla speaks again, just loud enough for Ethari to hear. 

"I don't know what would have happened with those things if she hadn't found us."

They sit listening to the sounds of the forest around them and enjoying a few moments of easy company for a little while longer before Ethari nudges a tattooed shoulder against her bare one. 

"Come on, you've sat out here brooding long enough. I'm sure the humans can handle their own problems."

He pulls her up with him and they begin a slow walk back to the Silvergrove. Rayla can't help thinking back to the attack at the gala - about kings, and princes, and strange mage girls.

_I hope they're okay._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that the funeral had been and gone, it was time to start putting Katolis' affairs in order - namely, they needed to decide on a regent to hold the throne until Ezran was of age. 

General Amaya and her men had left the castle to return to the fortress at the breach, anticipating a reinforced presence on the Xadian side of the border. Before she left, she did manage to succeed at getting Callum to laugh for the first time since the King had passed. Claudia had only picked up some basics of sign language and so had to ask Callum what she had said - both because she wanted in on the joke, and also to hopefully learn how to get him to smile again. 

She missed his goofy smile these days.

He lit up with mirth again at her asking, gleefully repeating what his aunt had said loudly enough for the bickering council to overhear.

_"I'd rather be drowned in lava than listen to that lot fake-nice to one another. Or try to put me on the throne."_

The slight against their pride being voiced seemed to do little to instill sense into the at-odds council, and it was becoming apparent they were accomplishing nothing fast. Mostly, it was Viren and Opeli arguing with each other, and while amusing, time was ticking on. 

It was the ambassador from Duren who eventually came up with a plan to end the arguments. Rising wisely from his seat and interrupting yet another heated spat between two previously sound minds, he clears his throat loudly. When all attention is on him, he speaks. 

"Why don't we ask the young King who he would like to represent him? Considering that we have been here for days already, and look to be here for many more if this is allowed to continue... and frankly, I would like to go home."

Some nods and murmurs from the rest of the room agree with him, and a couple guards are requested to fetch Ezran. When he appears in the throne room, he is tired and far from his usual chipper self. He and Bait send matching grumpy looks around at all the council members as the ambassador from Duren addresses them both. 

"I apologise for the intrusion, your Majesty, but we have a matter that requires your decision."

He sends a sympathetic smile to Ezran who sighs, shoulders dropping, obviously still not comfortable with the new title that doesn't really belong to him, not yet. 

"Okay, well what is it?"

"It is required that a regent be appointed, to rule Katolis until you are ready. It feels best that you select this person. It should be someone who you trust, someone who knows your father and will act in your interests."

Ezran spends a few moments absorbing the words. 

"Anyone I want?"

The ambassador confirms this with a nod of his head, everyone else has stilled and are waiting for his decision. Shrinking a little at the attention, Ezran lifts Bait up to face him eye-to-eye. 

"What do you think, bud? We gotta pick someone to help run the kingdom until we're ready."

Bait just grumbles in response. Ezran begins to glance around again, Claudia catches his eye from where she leans against a far wall next to Callum and sends him a big smile she hopes is comforting. She can hear Callum by her side mouthing to him, "Just breathe". He does as Callum says, closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath, before opening them with determination and addressing the room. 

"I choose Viren."

Opeli's face falls, briefly, before she squares her shoulders and expression into cool regality again. It doesn't matter, she's already been seen. Viren rises smoothly from his seat, crossing the room with large strides to place a fatherly hand on Ezran's shoulder. 

"Thank you, Ezran. I will do what is best for the kingdom."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Viren's first act as King Regent is to dissolve the ban on dark magic, claiming that what happened to King Harrow would not have been allowed under a crown willing to do what is necessary. 

Claudia cheers off to the side at the announcement. When she spins to face Soren, she expects all kinds of excitement from him too. She can't place the look on his face, it's gone in a second and replaced by a clearly fake smile for her. 

He hugs her woodenly, before excusing himself to the bathroom before their father finishes his speech. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weeks turn into months, with Viren at the helm the kingdom reaches its first period of calm in memory since the loss of their queen. Relations with Xadia have regressed back to how they had been for years - hostile ignorance of one another. The breach is manned once again by both sides, and the status quo of old has returned. Despite all that has happened, there is a change in the air - a slight melancholy hangs low over both sides, as there remain a few hearts who mourn for what could have been. 

The idea came to her late at night, as the shadows clung to her small corner of the library and danced their way along the wall behind her candle. 

Claudia had always felt as if she had her best ideas under the cover of the night, the still presence of a sleeping kingdom quelling the mind and fuelling the imagination. She had been sprawled out on the ground where the idea had came to her, idly watching the flame of her candle flicker and sway, errant draughts present always through cracks in old window panes better felt than seen. 

Cradling her father's primal stone in her hands, she rapidly flicked back through the spellbook by her feet, stopping sharply on the spell she had only glanced over earlier that evening. The spell in question would allow the caster to temporarily enchant another's view to reflect on a surface of their choosing. The spell was most commonly used for hunting, using animals to seek out others, however there had been at least one recorded incidence of its use for spying in the course of history. 

This thought was the spark to ignite her plan - gathering the book and primal stone she made her way to her quarters, pace brisk from excitement. Entering her room, she gathers the materials required - spellbook open to the correct page, she collects a hand mirror from her vanity and with her free hand summons herself a familiar. 

Black as night and with intelligence contained within small eyes, the raven watches her suspiciously from its perch on her desk. 

_Weird, it's like it already knows what I'm up to... I don't need you judging me, bird._

Shaking off the unease at the thought, she places the mirror by the bird's feet and brandishes the primal stone in front of her, speaking the incantation laid out before her. 

"Aspectis Dominantur."

Using primal magic has always felt somewhat alien to her; the sky magic does not ripple out from her chest and down her veins like dark magic but seemingly floats out of her lungs on her words, turning her voice breathy and sending the slightest rush to her head. 

The sensation passes in a heartbeat, sending her crashing back down to human and stirring the hunger in her blood for more, more, **more**. She steadies herself with a few breaths until the want passes - there are enough tales in history of mages just like her, who chased the want until it killed them. 

She won't be another. 

After the moment passes, she lifts the mirror up to her face and sees her image reflected back at her. At first her heart falls; believing it to have failed she places the mirror back down on her desk by her hip. The image of her does not change, however, and she feels a fool as she realises too late that it did work, her raven is just staring at her unflinchingly. 

She tests her success, moving around in front of the bird to confirm the link works. The bird continues its eery staring and she decides in favour of sending it on its mission right away, if only to get it to stop watching her like that. 

_Locate Rayla the Moonshadow elf._

The raven flies out of her open window. She lets the sights of the land rushing by far below her familiar's path enthrall her until sleep eventually claims her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> Yes, Viren was missing from the party for a reason, and no prizes to anyone who guesses why ;)
> 
> I will be adding my own embellishment to certain aspects of the canon, such as the different sensations associated with each source of magic. I just think it's neat. 
> 
> Hope you're enjoying my story, feel free to comment and let me know below!


	8. An Unlikely Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello folks! Hope everyone is doing good and looking after themselves <3 
> 
> We're finally starting to get into the crux of the story now that the girls have been in contact with each other, I'm sure you'll all be glad to hear. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The morning is cold and brisk as Rayla makes her way through the forest, layering the world around her with a harshness contradictory to the late summer's day. She had decided to go on an early morning hunt, to keep herself both busy and to sharpen her skills. About a forty minute journey into the woods, she locates a target - a silver-eyed fox, quick and suspicious, always prepared to run at a second's notice.

In other words, the perfect target practice.

Putting all her skills to use, she stalks it through the trees, never visible but always watching. As she crouches by a thick tree, preparing to strike, the sharp notes of a bird call echo through the leaves and draws the fox's attention in her direction.

A second later, it bolts.

Cursing quietly to herself and bracing to give chase, she glances up and spots the creature responsible for ruining her efforts. A large, black bird flutters its wings at her from its perch in the branches above her, chirping and bouncing the branch under it slightly. Mostly joking, she points one of her blades in its direction and commands it to shoo. At her words it snaps its attention to her fully, unblinking, the uneasy feeling she knows intimately announcing itself in her core.

Birds, prey animals as they often are, tend to have their eyes placed out to the side of their heads to better facilitate their field of vision. Rayla knows enough about them to know they watch you from the side, to not be caught off guard, and ravens are no exception.

This one, however, is focused right on her.

The difference is subtle, picked up by the unconscious mind and filling the body with discomfort. It tracks her movement, edging a little further along its branch almost as if to get a closer look at her as she stares back.

Backing away, she lowers her blade after some more distance has been placed between them and goes to search for her lost target. A last glance back confirms it is still focused on her. She walks a little faster.

After a few minutes of tracking she picks the trail of the fox back up and stalks it to the edge of the river she likes to relax by, determined not to lose her focus. Peering around a rock feature, she waits silently for her target to meander closer to her spot. Heartbeat steady and breath held, she is on the balls of her feet ready to strike at a second's notice.

"CAW!"

The call starles her and she fumbles one of her blades, it slips out of her hands and lands noisily by her feet.

This time, the fox darts across a shallow path through the river, where she would rather not follow. Irritation bubbles through her veins and before she can think, she has angrily slashed at the branch by the bird's feet.

"Get lost, you stupid pile of feathers!"

The strike misses the bird by a decent amount and cracks the branch in half. She wasn't trying to hit it, but more trying to scare it into leaving.

When it flutters its way back on to the same branch, chirping lightly, she feels the frustration rising. It continues staring at her, almost like it knows who she is.

"Well, that wasn't very nice."

The voice rings clear across the space between her and the raven, and she does her own impression of a startled bird, bouncing into the air with ruffled feathers and branding her sharp bits towards the source.

"Oh Spirits, this is it, I'm finally going insane the birds are talking to me everyone was right-"

"Hey!"

Stopping her mad pacing mid-step, she turns to the bird with an expression that would be better fitted to a much larger threat than the one she currently faces. The bird speaks again.

"You're not going insane, and this isn't a real bird."

_Okay so what have we got here? I've been followed by a creature sent to spy on me? And that voice... I recognise it..._

"Who am I speaking to, then?"

The giggle of a girl exiting the raven's beak does little to settle Rayla, alien and unnatural.

"It's Claudia. From the gala? We fought together against those things-"

"Yes, I remember." Rayla cuts the words off with a hand held in the air. "That doesn't explain any of this, though."

"Oh! Yes, right. Um... I was just messing with some new spells and was curious about Xadia, and wanted to see some of it so..."

"So you decided to spy on me?"

"No! Well, a little. I wasn't _intending_ to spy, more like I just wanted to see what is going on on the other side?"

"That still sounds like spying." Despite the deadpan delivery, Rayla had relaxed her stance slightly with a cocked hip and brow to match. A hint of a smile flirted with her lips, but she forced it away in favour of continuing her act of disapproval.

"Ugh, okay! I was spying, you happy now?"

Rayla could almost picture the other girl throwing her arms up in the air indignantly.

"No. Not at all. But I have other questions instead, what's up with the creepy bird? And why is it talking?"

"The bird is a familiar, I can conjure them and control them. As for why you can hear me, I'm not sure... That's never happened before. I might have messed up the spell, but I doubt it."

The brag is subtle, but Rayla can still hear it in the words. Only thing worse than a mage? A confident one. The urge to roll her eyes is strong, but she perseveres.

"Okay, I suppose that answers the biggest questions. What were you hoping to see? While spying on me, that is."

"I don't really know, I guess I'm just really curious about Xadia since we met. I hadn't really thought about it much and then the gala happened, and I met you and it made everything a lot more... real? I hadn't actually thought about how there's a whole other world of people out the before, not really. And I wanted to see some of it, so when I saw the spell it gave me the idea to try and see more."

Claudia continues talking, and Rayla realises belatedly that she's starting to ramble a bit. Rayla's heart tugs in sympathy - she's no stranger to nervous rambling, sweaty palms and saying more than she means to. A part of her wants to stop Claudia from saying any more. Another part wishes she could see her flustered expression, not entirely above a bit of epicaricacy.

She opts for the compassionate choice, interrupting before Claudia can work herself up more.

"Look, it's fine. I don't really care, though you could have chosen a more normal way to contact me, you know."

Out of curiosity towards Claudia's 'familiar', Rayla holds a hand out towards it, wanting to touch it but unsure if she should. The bird watches her suspiciously for a few seconds, before its demeanor changes almost completely. It bounces the branch it sits on, before fluttering across the gap between them to land on her outstretched hand and chirps happily at her when she brings it closer to her body.

"I can see up your nose from here."

This time, Rayla can't resist the urge to roll her eyes and does so with a sprinkle of exaggeration.

"You're actually so weird."

The brash laughter emitting from the bird is a lot more charming this time around now that Rayla is in the know about the cause. A smile breaks out despite herself, and the laughter is infectious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, why did you choose me to spy on? There's a whole world of elves out there, and probably more interesting than I am."

It was no longer a cold morning, the Sun having risen high in the sky hours previously. Rayla sat lazing by the side of the river, boots cast aside and toes dipping in the water rushing by. Bird-Claudia bounces around on the rocks by her side, as animated as Rayla suspected the other girl was, too, as she spoke. The warmth of the the Sun beat down heavily on the back of her neck, with an imperceptible weight - the full heat of the Sun had always felt a bit much for her, preferring the cover of the night or the clouds.

"Honestly? I'm not too sure, I was excited that I got the spell to work and you just popped into my head immediately. I didn't really think it through that far. Or about how strange it would come across... I'm sorry if you feel like I've violated your privacy."

"Only a little." Rayla winks at Bird-Claudia to emphasise that she's joking. "Really though, it's not that big a deal. It's kind of nice that I was who you thought about."

Unable to resist teasing, she adds, "That said, I didn't realise you'd miss me that easily. I didn't even need to put the charm on."

"Well maybe one day I'll get to see this 'charm' you speak of. A girl can only dream."

Not expecting to be so expertly backhanded with the joke, Rayla is unable to keep the offended look off her face, lifting a scandalised hand mockingly to her heart.

Every time she succeeds at bringing out Claudia's silly laugh, Rayla's heart feels a little lighter.

_She has a really cute laugh. If it wasn't coming out her puppet, I mean._

"So, tell me a little bit about Xadia? Like, where did you grow up? I won't believe you if you try to tell me you live in the middle of the woods."

"Damn, am I that predicable? I guess I _do_ live in the woods in a way, just not how you mean. I'm from the Silvergrove, one of a bunch of villages full of Moonshadow elves." She gestures loosely in a direction over her shoulder. "It's a hike back that way. And no you can't see it, no outsiders allowed."

"Aw.... Can you at least tell me a bit more? Where was little Rayla's favourite place to go?"

One place does come to mind, though the thought of telling about it makes her feel exposed so she decides not to give too much detail.

"There was one place, a field not too far from the village. It's full of animals, I used to play with them all the time."

Memories of lying in the field, surrounded by adoraburrs and other animals that happen to pass through float into Rayla's mind. If she focuses, she can picture it clearly as if she was still a child running through the long grass. Claudia's cooing brings her attention back from her nostalgic daydream, and Rayla feels heat rise up her neck. Suddenly the Sun's heat has gone from uncomfortable to suffocating.

_This won't do, I need to focus the attention on her for a change._

"What about you? What did you do for fun as a kid?"

Claudia's chuckling dies off at the question, leaving Rayla puzzling the cause for a moment. Rayla can't help wondering what it was she said to cause the reaction, the question seemed innocent enough. She tries to apologise at the same time Claudia answers, with low words dragged down with melancholy.

"I don't really remember what I used to do for fun, I don't remember a lot from before my mother died, it's always been me and dad and our magic studies. There are some memories, and I still have days doing nothing with the boys, but I was young when she passed and threw myself into studying instead."

The words settle heavy on the forest air, and Rayla isn't sure how to respond. She's never lost anyone close to her, and doesn't know how to not make this more awkward than it is. She decides against empty "I'm sorry's"; they always feel wrong, and especially so when talking about someone you don't know. Instead, she allows for a moment of respectful quiet, before asking about Claudia's mother.

_Might as well get her talking so I can't mess it up any further._

"Can I ask how she died? You don't need to answer if you don't want to, though."

Claudia gives another chuckle; this time it is different - quiet and abrasive, it breathes out of her, laughing at something and not with someone as the others had been.

Rayla doesn't expect her to talk, but she does.

"She was bitten by a soulfang serpent. In Xadia, actually."

A pause. Then in a lower voice she speaks again, almost a whisper. Rayla isn't even sure she was meant to hear the words.

"Some stupid mission for who knows what, didn't even matter in the end. They came back without it, she died for nothing."

A silence stretches between them, both girls lost in their own thoughts. A question pulls at Rayla's mind, rolls itself from the back of her tongue before she can process that she has voiced it, chasing an answer her subconscious wants to know.

"How old were you when she died?"

The second the words touch air, the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end to welcome the familiar chill as it runs down her back. Glancing around to check her surroundings, she thumbs the handle of one of her blades for comfort.

The reaction was seemingly unprompted, leaving Rayla's nerves on high. Even through her familiar's voice, Claudia sounds puzzled about the question, answering but clearly curious.

"I was six... Why do you ask that?"

_Six... We must be about the same age, could she be..?_

Images of a little girl with long dark hair crying in a dark and dusty room flash across Rayla's mind. The sobs ring in her ears as fresh as they had been that day ten years ago, pain crushing her chest until she can't breathe, she is once again five years-old in her small bed back home...

Just as fast as it happened, she is back on the river bank with Bird-Claudia pecking at her leg.

"...you okay? Rayla? Rayla?!"

Snapping back to the moment, its clear she had been quiet for a while from Claudia's prodding and pecking.

The vision is gone, thankfully, but has now been replaced by her thundering heart. Rising sharply on unsteady legs, she looks down to where Bird-Claudia is watching her still. Knowing she is being watched only furthers her instinct to flee.

"I'm sorry! I- I need to go."

If it was possible for a bird to look concerned well, Rayla has surely earned it.

"Okay... If you're sure. I'm sorry if I've upset you, I have really enjoyed talking to you."

Calming herself, Rayla can hear the hurt tone in Claudia's voice. Her reactions probably seen weird from someone else's eyes and she doesn't want Claudia thinking she's to blame.

"Yea, I've enjoyed talking to you too. I'm sorry but I do need to go, but... maybe come back again sometime? It's up to you, no pressure."

"I'd like that, thank you! See you again then?"

"Yea, see you again later, Claudia."

Rayla turns to take off back into the forest, but Claudia calls out to her once again.

"Oh, wait! Can I have a bit of your hair?"

"My... hair?"

It's more a judgement than a question. Claudia answers anyway.

"Yes, I can use it to conjure a familiar much closer to you. It just makes things easier for me."

Not entirely convinced it is for what she says it's for, Rayla cuts off one of the braids by her ear and presents it to the raven before she can think it through too much.

"Cute braid!"

Bird-Claudia takes flight before she can change her mind, and Rayla sprints off into the forest after it disappears from view. She runs until her lungs and legs begin to burn, the activity helping quell the fight or flight reflex triggered by the conversation and vision.

Which she is determined not to think about.

Elves, like humans, can only run for so long, however, and eventually she comes to a stop in a clearing she only kind of recognises. Hunched over, she draws laboured breaths into lungs that refuse to cooperate, and is finally alone with her thoughts.

_...what the fuck was that?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She debates telling someone about the vision - Ethari, Lujanne, she even considers asking Claudia, for Spirits sake. Surely a mage like her would have some ideas.

But she doesn't.

Each time she considers bringing it up to someone, the unease returns to her bones and drags it back down. It feels stronger, now. She tells herself she is imagining it.

The next time the dream occurs, on the night of the full Moon as it always has, she anticipates a change. No, she wishes for one, any clue at all as to its meaning. Experiencing the same dream as always, the girl collapses faceless to the ground, and when Rayla awakes the tears are ones of frustration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia had intended to revisit Rayla soon again to continue her learning about Xadia - "spying", she could hear the elf's voice correct in her head - though life had other plans for the moment.

And so did her father, apparently. Busy Viren means busy Claudia, and he had been sending her on errands and research missions all over the castle grounds. Moaning to Soren usually devolved into a game of 'who is dad working harder?' and truthfully, she usually loses. So she's doing her best to just get on with things, while taking ample opportunity to help herself to some extra magical knick-knacks in the process.

_A little extra never hurt anyone, and it's not like he notices much about what I'm doing these days._

As if to prove her point, she idly spins her father's primal stone on her desk, almost knocking it off the side in the process before correcting herself at the last moment.

_I've had this for weeks and he hasn't even noticed. He used to be constantly using this and now he doesn't need it?_

It was odd, but she happily kept quiet if it meant she could have it instead. Her attention moves instead to the braid of white hair by its side, fingers reaching out to thumb at the smooth strands. The thought of how strange it was to keep such a thing on her desk, in plain view, is shoved back down as fast as it occurs.

Debating casting the spell to go find Rayla again, her daydream is broken by the sharp knock to her door. Expecting the boys, or guards making rounds, she calls out disinterestedly to enter. Her father's stern face appearing in her doorframe is a surprise, and she rises quickly to her feet like she's been caught stealing jelly tarts from the kitchen.

Viren greets her as he crosses her room and plants himself in the lush armchair by her bed. With his back to her, she discreetly slides the braid into one of her desk drawers before he can spy it or question her.

Shifting uncomfortably at hiding something from him, she moves over to sit on her bed facing him after he gestures her over. He begins talking before she has properly sat down.

"I wanted to make you aware of my plan beforehand, so as to better assist me. I'm sure you and your brother have been wondering what all the work has been for."

He waits for her acknowledgement, to which she nods, waiting for him to continue.

"The attack on the gala, the death of our dear friend... it cannot go unpunished. That is why I have called the Pentarchy together in a few days time - to discuss our retribution to Xadia for their crimes."

_Our retribution?_

Hadn't she told him what Rayla had said? That the assassins did not look like elven or draconian magic? She attempts to repeat this to him, but he lifts a hand and interrupts her.

"I know what you heard from that elf girl, but it is not true. The fact remains that outside the two of us in this room, there are no other mages in Katolis that could have done such a thing. And we cannot allow such an act to go without consequence."

He continues talking, but the words are smothered by the blood rushing in her ears.

_He's talking about war... That's not right, it goes against everything King Harrow wanted..._

She interrupts him, this time, for what may be the first time ever.

"King Harrow wouldn't have wanted-"

"King Harrow isn't here!"

He has never shouted at her, not like this. Shouted at her and Soren for fighting, or for getting caught doing something dangerous, yes. But never like this, lifting himself to his feet and towering over her.

They stare at one another before he realises what he has done and has the decency to look at least slightly embarrassed. He looks different this close, tired and aged. Sighing, he places a large hand on her shoulder and moves to pass her while heading for the door, stopping right at the point before his hand falls from her shoulder to turn to her with a look she can't read.

_When did I stop knowing him? I used to always know what he was thinking..._

"It is what is needed. I hope you can understand."

He leaves, pulling the door shut behind him with a thud far too loud for the now empty room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The gathering of the Pentarchy commences a few days later, to discuss going to war with Xadia.

Claudia and Soren are in attendance as their father's personal guard, and likely to keep matters as private as possible. None of the other council members had been permitted to attend. Her chances to speak with Soren without her father eavesdropping had been far and few the past days, but from what she's heard from him, at least she's not the only one uncomfortable with the proposal of war that's being presented.

It matters little, neither of their voices are loud enough to quiet the one curled around their father's ear.

They both watch helpless to act as the kingdoms agree one-by-one to march on Xadia, spirits low as it seems war is inevitable.

They also watch as their father speaks, impassioned in a way not seen for some time, to the young Queen Aanya in efforts to win her vote. She is the last objector, and for a time it appears their father has succeeded.

The siblings send each other matching looks of surprise when she refuses a second time, unflinching and unbending in her decision. One-by-one, their father loses his favour to her, until eventually he storms out, face red and warnings angry on his tongue. Hurrying to catch up to him, both siblings hold their silence as he rants to avoid giving away their positions.

Retiring to her chambers as soon as the opportunity presents itself, Claudia leans her head against the cool wooden door freshly shut and almost cries from relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> 'Epicaricacy' is the English equivalent to 'schadenfreude'. I would have just used that, but then that implies a German language equivalent in this universe and I started getting a headache. Saving you guys having to Google it yourselves like I did. ^.^
> 
> No one else in this universe so far has been able to communicate with Claudia through her familiars, and yet Rayla can. I wonder why that is. ¬‿¬
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment below to let me know what you think of the story!


	9. A Blade from the Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, folks! Okay so this is another pair of avatars, I posted this so close to the chapter yesterday so as to not be annoying anyone with waiting weeks for a 'filler' chapter. That said! This chapter has a lot of important shit in it, so read up. 
> 
> Also, should I maybe change the rating on this story to 'mature'? This chapter in particular is pretty dark. 
> 
> As always, enjoy!

There were many pairs of avatars over the years, and not all of their paths crossed in good circumstances. Some came in times of peace where they were unlikely to ever meet. Some came in times of quiet indifference, where both sides of the Earth ignored the presence of the other.

And others, well... they would have an impact on their fates in a different way than that which the Spirits sought.

Born into a world at war, and shackled by the environment that guides their actions, misfortunes were bound to happen at some point in this tale. One such pair lived and walked the Earth centuries later than the origins of their souls, but in time for the manifestations of their connection to emerge.

It is not to be forgotten, the sordid beginnings of the Shadow. While her long time in this realm eventually grew her into a neutral entity, it was not always so. There was a time when she had been fuelled purely on the darkest emotions of humanity, and wrought destruction amongst the children of Earth.

Some of her reincarnations retained such violent inclinations.

Gifts such as those born by the souls of Spirits are wonderful, and terrible. Possession of great power tends to have a single common thread - the ability to corrupt and taint those that taste its fruit. It is often told to children as a cautionary tale, to never accept the food from the Gods lest they find themselves forever unsatisfied by their own.

And yet, humanity has always had a penchant for greed.

One avatar of the Shadow had discovered how to use the power of her Spirit at a particularly dark time in history, and it shaped her soul in the worst ways - tainting and twisting, it bled the good from her heart and leaked out into the world beyond her. This Earth she hailed from had fallen further than many before it; battles waged freely across its surface and reached even those who were innocent, crossing lines and borders respected for centuries.

The image of war, as depicted between knights and soldiers and rulers, is often an invention. A fabrication. Stories and art commissioned by those of a power to influence the outcomes. But what of those who simply exist in such a world, with no power of their circumstance? They become pawns in a game played by those who will never see the horrors of its reality. For many, the heat and panic of dragonfire is not unfamiliar, destroying everything in its path. It was not unfamiliar to our avatars, either, but in very differing ways.

One stood powerless as the very world around her was engulfed, screaming voiceless in an inferno, unable to save those she cared most about in this world.

The other was cursed to hold her tongue, given away to the kind of person who commanded such things as flippantly as selecting a dessert with their dinner. She stood in the court of the Dragon King, watching with no voice to disagree, as village after village of innocent people, _good_ people were slaughtered by their order. Bile rose up in her throat as they watched the chaos on their enchanted mirrors, only to have to force herself to remain composed.

It would not do well to show weakness here.

They continued to laugh and jeer as the screams of the fallen echoed through the chamber, hopeless and unheard. She turns to excuse herself, unable to bear it any longer, as a cracking noise ripples through from the mirrors and white light blinds all those in the chamber, halting her retreat. All eyes have focused on the portals now, many waiting furiously to discover the source of the noise. It takes a few moments for the cause to come into focus - the link on the other side of the mirror having been knocked back but alive, recovers and looks towards the source of the attack.

In the middle of the burning village, surrounded by the charred remains of her kin, is a young woman. She is hunched over, face obscured by long dark hair, one vibrant streak of white marring the side of her head. Lifting her head slowly with laboured breath, the remnants of dark magic fade languidly from her eyes. The entire court watch, stunned, as the view pans to face the spot where Luna Nabila had been previously. The Archdragon is still but seemingly alive, in a trance of some sort. Slowly, painfully slowly, light cracks out from under the plates and scales on her body, spreading out like roots of a tree as she stumbles blind to her fate, trampling foe and friend under her greatness. The cracks in her form engulf her entirely within moments, scattering flakes of burning light as far as the eye can see. The enchantments on the mirrors begin to fade out as the lifeforce of their puppet fades, too.

The last thing they see is of the woman, lifting shakily to her feet and raising a hand to the white streak of hair on her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Moon avatar would continue to experience the influence of the woman throughout the years. While they never met in person, the actions of this one individual against Xadia stoked the fire of rage within a court that she could not escape. Often she would lay dormant, sometimes for months at a time, before exploding back into the focus of Xadia with another act of violence and retaliation. And when she did, the damage was extraordinary, ethereal even - laying waste to entire villages, slaying Archdragons like they were vermin under her feet.

Each time, her husband would turn his anger back onto her, lashing out against an entity he could never locate or extinguish no matter how hard he and the other members of the court tried. In her own act of defiance at the world around her, the avatar of the Moon grew to relish the anger the woman brought - it was a sign that there are those out there who will not bend to any greater power, no matter the cost.

It was a sign that her people would not be allowed to trample under their feet any who they desire.

She admired anyone with such strength. She admired her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually, life begins to still. Years pass without any interference from the woman, and Xadia move towards victory over man. Most of the human hubs of civilisation have fallen against increasingly angered and vengeful siege, leaving Xadia as giants ruling a smoking world.

Of course, they desire to celebrate their imminent triumph accordingly.

Dragons are famously regarded as conceited, coveting antiques and gold and shiny trinkets, though such a reputation would be better applied to all of the sentient races of Earth, as they are all equally likely to lose themselves in the allure of wealth and appearance. The grand chamber she stood in was abundant with flaunted spoils of war - adorning walls, and tables, and bodies. Conversation flowed incessantly on voices slurred by wine and ale, merry despite the occasion, discussing matters of the future like there wasn't blood on every surface and hand in this room. Every so often her husband would float his way over to her, holding her too tight as he introduces her to faces she will likely never see again.

Smile, nod, bow. Smile, nod, bow.

It's a routine so familiar she could very well do it in death; her input was never wanted or required, he just enjoys showing off his things to anyone who is willing to humour him. These days, that feels like an increasingly common occurrence - he had contributed a lot to the war effort, and his support in the court had only grown.

The thought causes her to find an excuse to take leave from his side, a claim of feeling light-headed enough to make him lose interest in having her in the conversation. The servant's station is tucked off to a corner of the hall, in front of a collection of treasures. It is all a show, the statement that no one would dare to steal a thing here unwritten but understood.

Heading towards the station, she claims a glass of water, staying with her back to the room for a moment in hopes to ignore the festivities. Beyond the table of food and drink, a gilded mirror stands reflecting her own face back to her. Beside her image, another woman approaches to claim a drink for herself. A Moonshadow elf, same as she. They make eye contact in the in the mirror, a smile slightly curves the lips on the newcomer's face.

_"Your husband is quite the talker."_

Her tone is goading; enough years navigating the court have trained her ears for such things. Looking in her direction confirms the woman has turned to face her, hip leaning against the table and glass to her lips.

_"Do you love him?"_

Untrusting of the woman's motives, a nod is the only response given - leaving no room for further questioning. They hold eye contact for a moment longer, before the other Moonshadow elf lets out a sigh.

_"Shame."_

Without further comment, the woman heads off back towards the crowd. With a last glance into the mirror's surface, the Moon avatar's attention is drawn once, then once again, as she spies a head of long black hair streaked with white disappearing amongst the bodies mingling in the room, where the inquisitive Moonshadow elf should have been.

The woman is gone by the time she looks away from the mirror.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her quest had taken years to gather all the components required, years to gather all the knowledge to initiate her plan. Tomes lay scattered all around the room as she set up on the floor, her journal open in her lap to the spell she had freshly penned. The journal was almost complete, containing within a compendium of all the spells she had used or created, one of which was new.

The components were listed at the top - a Shadowlife candle, weapons and ashes of the deceased to be resurrected - as well as the incantation to bring the spell to life.

_".snissassa ykoms niaga esir, nellaf fo hsA."_

One-by-one she summoned them from the Nether, coming to life from the ash smoke and waiting at her feet for their commands. She had acquired the names and locations of the highest members of the Xadian court - it was almost too easy to sneak her way into the celebration those years ago, but it was not for nothing.

One-by-one she orders her thralls to destroy those members and all they hold dear. She wants them all to hurt like they've hurt so many others.

The next time she catches sight of her reflection she expects the additional white streaks in her hair. Wrinkled hands, too old for the body they belong to, grasp the sides of the mirror and shatter the glass by her feet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had occurred to her, that she would not know how successful her quest had been for at least some time. She had known remarkably little about the effects her choices would have on her.

As she removed a shaking hand from her stomach, the sight of thick blood covering her fingers does not shock her as much as it likely should. The phantom blade responsible for her condition sinks into her flesh once, twice more and the realisation dawns on her.

_"They found me faster than I would have thought... It seems my plan worked well."_

Unable to hold herself steady any longer, she stumbles before landing hard on her knees, watching as the blood continues to seep between her fingers and stain the wood below her. Her last act is to push away the journal containing her life's work, to prevent its pages staining red.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across the land, lilac eyes stare weakly into a dusty mirror, positioned just so it captures the view of where she has fallen.

She had run when the apparitions accosted her husband, through the spiralling chambers of the tower and hoping to find help for them both. The discovery of the bodies belonging to other court members, rotting already where they had been cut down, and the growing silence in the tower slows her pace and causes the panic to rise high in her throat. She stops, once, but it is enough. Her warning is the sound of the air being displaced around her, followed by the dagger being buried in the soft flesh of her stomach. The shock and pain causes her to fall, and only for the first time does she get a clear view of what she has been attacked by. She crawls back through the grand hall, attempting to put any distance she could between her and her attacker until the dagger replaces itself again and again.

Before her eyes finally close, she sees the reflection of a dark haired woman reaching out to her from behind the mirror glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> There's a lot of world-building here, and some useful information about the history of the continent in this universe. Throughout history, I think the disputes between humanity and Xadia would ebb and flow a lot, sometimes they hate each other a lot more than other times, and both sides have been horrible to each other in the past. It's not as clear cut as 'dark magic bad' here. Kind of like how France and Britain like each other now, but have a long history of being truly shite towards each other too.
> 
> The enchanted mirrors used to watch battles by the Dragon King's court is the same enchantment used by Claudia to spy on Rayla with her raven last chapter.
> 
> The Shadow avatar thinks she died cause Xadia finally found her, she doesn't know that it was really because she played herself. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Please comment and tell me what you think below!


	10. Smoke and Mirrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too happy with this chapter but I've been sitting on it for days now, so here we are.
> 
> Rayla and Claudia are nocturnal girlfriends and no one can convince me otherwise. 
> 
> The conversations through familiars that I've covered in the story aren't all the conversations they'd have, they've been talking for weeks but I'm just focusing on the important things to keep things moving. 
> 
> As always, enjoy!

The surprise visits from a menagerie of black familiars become a frequent occurrence in Rayla's life - having granted Claudia some of her hair, _to do who-knows-what with_ , it allowed the other girl to pop up in her life as she pleased. And she had not been shy about doing so; the sight of those green eyes peering at her from the trees or the undergrowth becoming less disconcerting with each instance. The animals were rarely the same time-after-time.

The next time Rayla is approached by a strange, black animal she only startles a little. At the least, she keeps a grip of her weapon this time.

_Trained warriors don't drop their weapons, idiot._

Rayla had expected the same black raven as last time, so the sight of a large wolf ambling out of the trees and straight for her naturally causes her heart rate to spike for a split second before the realisation dawns on her. Unamused, she still pets the animal's muzzle when it nudges against her in greeting.

"Uh, hello to you, too? This isn't very inconspicuous, Claudia."

The chiding clearly missed its mark, Claudia's cheerful voice greets her back with a low chuckle that sends the slightest flush of heat up Rayla's neck.

"I think you're just upset you're no longer the scariest thing in these woods."

Without any prompting, the animal curls up around her feet that dangle from the rock she sits on, so close she could prop her feet up on its thick fur if she wanted. She did want to, though she wasn't too sure how welcome that would be.

"You say you don't just live in the woods, but that's always where I find you. I'm starting to think you're lying, Rayla."

_She's teasing me already... That was fast._

Rayla could tell her the truth - that she wouldn't be able to see the Silvergrove even if she found it - but that would be too easy.

"Well, you've only found me twice so that's hardly a lot to back up your claim. You'll just need to keep trying."

By her feet, the wolf let out a loud sigh.

"I guess I'll just have to do that then, if you're going to be so coy."

Rayla can't help laughing at the pout in the other girl's voice. A few seconds pass where it seems Claudia finally realises she's really not getting any more information.

"So, what do you do all day? Other than hide in the woods, that is."

"I mostly work with my uncle, Runaan. He's in charge of training other elves into fighters. Sometimes I'll get sent on missions or hunts, I've tried to help Ethari before but I'm no use with magic stuff so he usually finds something else to send me off to do."

"Ethari?"

"Oh right, he's my uncle too, he's Runaan's husband."

Remembering back to the gala, Claudia realises there's been no mention of Rayla's parents, and it certainly wasn't one of her uncles who came looking for her during the chaos.

"What about your parents, what do they do? It was your mother who I saw at the gala, right?"

Rayla hesitates, unsure how much information is appropriate to share. Her parents are important people after all, but they don't particularly advertise their roles to anyone who asks, and she is sure she shouldn't be either. Even in attendance to the Katolian gala, it had been deliberately left vague as to who exactly was there representing the Dragon King.

Claudia must have sensed her hesitation, as she speaks again in a soft voice.

"I'm not going to tell anyone... I shouldn't even be talking to you, my father would probably kill me if he knew."

The statement supplies Rayla with a distraction, the opportunity to flip the question on Claudia first.

"Why don't you tell me what your father does? You said you study magic together."

It appears that Claudia hadn't considered the question being asked back, however, she answers it anyway, if a little uncertainly.

"Okay, now I won't ask you not to judge because I know you will but try not to judge _too_ harshly, please."

Despite herself, Rayla raises an eyebrow expectantly, bracing for imminent judging of whatever it is Claudia is about to tell her.

The mage lets out a slight exhale, the words rushing out on a breath.

"Lord Viren is my dad, the Archmage of Katolis? That's why I was even at the gala in the first place."

_... Viren's her dad? Are you kidding me?!_

A million different responses cross her mind - most of them bad - though she manages to hold her tongue. Regardless how Rayla, and most of her people, may feel about the dark mage who has trespassed on their lands several times, Claudia is not him. At the very least, Rayla is impressed at the other girl's honesty, knowing the information would be ill-received and still telling the truth was something Rayla could respect. 

"I've told you what he does, it's your turn now."

"...my parents work with Runaan, though they travel to other towns to train recruits there. That's why I live with my uncles instead, don't want to be traveling all the time."

Rayla knows she's being a hypocrite, lying herself as she applauds Claudia's honesty, but she decides it is the best decision for now.

_Sorry Claudia, but I can't risk it._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes Claudia considers telling Rayla about the meeting with the Pentarchy. It plays on her mind - the thought that war could be so easily thrust upon them. If it hadn't been for Queen Aanya and her experiences, it almost certainly would have been.

It was easier to turn a blind eye, back before they had all been acquainted in person. It was easier to see elves as an enemy when most of humanity had never even met one, painted as monsters and fiends for generations by the powerful. The longer she speaks to Rayla and sees the lies for what they are, it itches under her skin, grating at her nerves.

It made her wonder, what do the elves tell their children about us?

That's one question she'll probably never ask.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost as if the other girl was trying to test her patience.

They had not long fell into a routine - late at night, as Rayla wandered the forest by her home, a new familiar would find her and they would talk away the hours until they both felt tired enough to sleep. Each animal had its own way of approaching and catching her attention.

And it was quickly growing old.

The tickling sensation of little feet climbing up her leg as she leans against an old oak rips a squeal from her lips, and she flails to grab the offending creature as it clings to her clothing. Flustered and embarrassed, she holds it by the tail in front of her face as she clears her throat to compose herself.

A black squirrel, dark as the night beyond it, wriggles in her hand impatiently at the mistreatment.

"No! Let me down, you fiend!"

Amusement rising in her chest at Claudia's overly dramatic and petulant voice demanding to be unhanded, she lifts the squirrel to her eye level and focuses an accusatory finger in its direction.

"Nuh uh, we're laying down some ground rules. From now on I don't want to be climbed on, spooked, harassed, or otherwise accosted by you. At least not without a 'hello' first, if I keep screaming in the woods it's only a matter of time before someone hears it and comes looking. And I really don't want to have to explain this."

"If I say 'hello', can I climb on you then?"

"Not this time."

Finally, Squirrel-Claudia is moved to sit gently in Rayla's other palm, and she accepts this spot now she's had her fun. Reaching into the pouch dangling off her belt, Rayla retrieves a couple of nuts and jokingly presents one to Squirrel-Claudia. Where she had been expecting some snark at the offer, it was with slight surprise that her treat was accepted, and brought up something she'd been meaning to ask for a while.

"How in control of your familiars are you? Like, did you accept the nuts, or did the squirrel?"

"They mostly do their own thing, outwith whatever I specifically tell them to do. If I tell them to go somewhere, they'll go but are free to do it in whatever way they please unless specified. I told this one to climb on your leg, but right now while we're just talking she's free to flutter about, or eats nuts if you want."

"She? You know it's a girl?"

"Well sort of, I don't _know_ know but I do know in my head, you know?"

_No I don't, I have no idea what you're talking about._ "Yea, I kind of get that. Are they all girls then?"

"Mhmm, I think it's cause they're a part of me. And girls are just better." A wink. "Don't get me wrong, I love my boys, but it's nice getting to talk to someone who isn't one for a change."

_It's really cute she calls them that, 'her boys'. Hope those two know how special they are to her._

They had avoided talking about everything that happened in Katolis until now, but now that they had been mentioned Rayla couldn't help a pang of sadness at the thought of the princes.

"Speaking of... How are things where you are? How are Callum and Ezran doing? I hope they're alright."

Rayla can hear the cringe in Claudia's voice as she replies, and writes it off as being due to the unpleasant topic.

"They're doing okay, not _great_ , but Soren and I are doing what we can to keep their spirits up in-between helping dad run the kingdom."

There's a lot of information in that comment, so Rayla decides to start with the least worrying.

"Soren? You know him?"

A laugh. "Sort of, he's my brother?"

Rayla really hopes that her face didn't reflect her surprise, unable to relate the loud, blond guard to Claudia.

"But you don't look anything alike?"

"I've been told I look like my mother. Not sure how my dad's nose would look on my face. That's Soren's problem."

Now, Rayla can't exactly say she has seen Claudia's father in person, but the picture that's being painted isn't too flattering. For him or his son, though Claudia's good looks hint towards some exaggeration. It makes her laugh, light in her chest even amongst the heavy topic.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last for long, the other part of Claudia's answer far more troubling. Her father is running the kingdom? Rayla's suspicions about the source of the attack on the gala, and her conversation with Ethari following it, immediately resurface with the new information.

_If it was indeed an inside job, I can't think of anyone else who would have stood to benefit as much as he has. I can't exactly say that to her, though. Guess it's time to start fishing._

"You said your father is running the kingdom? Was he next in line for the throne or something?"

"Oh, no. The council argued about it for ages, eventually Ezran picked him as his regent for the next few years."

Ezran choosing Viren to represent him could have been purely coincidental, but Rayla doubts that greatly. If there's one thing she has learned from being around mages her whole life, it was that they're a pragmatic bunch. If that weren't enough, the chill in her bones was evidence that something here was not as it seems. The thought crosses her mind that perhaps this is an issue she should escalate to more important people, until she realises that she would likely have to source such information. And what is she going to say? If she was caught traitorously conversing with a human dark mage in the woods at night through talking animals... well, something would certainly happen and she'd rather not find out what.

It has nothing to do with the fact she would be betraying Claudia's trust, or how that thought makes her stomach twist.

"How are things going with that? Is he good at the job?"

"It's not much different from how things used to be, he's always helped run the kingdom. It is kind of weird though, does this make me a princess for a little while?"

Claudia laughs at her own joke, and Rayla joins in even though she's not quite feeling the humour right now. The conversation is giving her a headache, thoughts all flying around at once. And emotions, a lot of them. Mostly worry - for Claudia and the princes and whoever else might fall in way of the Archmage's path.

Deciding to call it a night as she can feel herself growing tired, she has one last thing to discuss before she makes her way home.

"Hey, Claudia? I'm going to be away for a little while, I'm going on a mission with Runaan and the others. We should be back within two weeks, at the latest. I won't be able to talk until it's all over."

"Two weeks... Okay, no problem! What are you away doing?"

Claudia is quick to cover the disappointment in her voice, but not quick enough as Rayla still catches it, warmth running through her veins with happiness.

_Aww... Is she going to miss me?_

"I'm not sure yet, he just told me today to get myself ready to leave in the morning."

A morning which is now only a few hours away. She already knows she's going to hate herself when Runaan is banging on her door and shouting to meet him at the pond behind the house.

"Okay then, guess you'll just have to tell me about it when you're home."

They wish each other goodnight, and Rayla turns to head home as Claudia calls out to her once more.

"Be safe, Rayla. I'll be here when you're back."

The words are much, much softer. Softer than Rayla had ever expected to hear from the other girl, more accustomed to silly laughter and bad jokes. A quiet moment passes between them, enjoying the last of each other's company.

"I will, I'll always come back."

The thought of having someone waiting for her to return...

She likes that a lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks. That should be easy enough, she'd gone far longer than that without talking to Rayla before now. Even so, the fleeting desire to cast the spell and locate her new elfy friend still made its appearance most nights, having grown accustomed to their late night chats.

Often she would imagine what shenanigans the other girl was getting up to - out flipping through trees and slinging her swords about, most definitely. Once, when she had asked nicely, Rayla had shown her how those fancy swords worked. The only problem with that was that she had still done it far too quickly for Claudia to truly follow, despite the fact it was clear that Rayla honestly _was_ trying to slow down.

Watching her expertly flipping them around was entertaining enough in the end, even if she didn't quite learn anything from the lesson.

(The expression on her face at Claudia's joke about 'magic fingers' was also highly rewarding.)

Her break from talking with Rayla coincided with her own back home, her father had been more absent than was usual these days, even for him. Where she had anticipated keeping busy with her work in the castle, he had brushed her off stating there was no more work to be done in the current circumstances. In fact, the atmosphere in the castle as a whole was still, stale even, as if lying in wait for something in that way fauna will quiet in the woods when a threat is near.

The same way they quiet when Claudia walks past - if she had ever noticed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True to her character, on the 14th night since Rayla had announced she would be leaving, she set back out into the trees beyond her home under the cover of night. Nursing a couple of bruises and scrapes from weeks of activity was nothing new by now, the healing balm from Ethari already seeping into her skin and soothing any damage. He always chastised them both each time they returned as he inspected any injuries, but the relief in his eyes at his family returning safely home to him softens the words, each and every time.

Rayla does not travel far before the leaves near her begin to rustle, a dark black snout popping out of the bushes to her left before being followed by the body of a deer as it approaches her.

"I missed you."

She's never had anyone other than family who missed her. Those three words are enough to make her pause, warmth rushing through her at the genuine concern in Claudia's voice. Most of the people in her life are the kind to keep their hearts close to their chests and not like Claudia at all, it's a difference that she had to adjust to but now she has, Rayla couldn't imagine her any other way.

_She certainly knows how to surprise me._

She crouches down to gently pet the deer as it peers at her, unnaturally intelligent eyes bright in the moonlight. Where normally Rayla would have responded with a joke, it doesn't feel appropriate at this moment.

"I've missed you, too. Have you been waiting long?"

"Only two weeks."

"Very funny, you know I meant tonight."

The silly laugh she's grown to know so well rings out clear through the branches, and Rayla had missed it, more than she realised. Only now does she feel like she's truly home.

"I haven't been waiting long, don't worry. How was your mission?"

The mission had been a waste of time, in the end. Someone somewhere had heard rumours of a group of mercenaries that claimed to possess an item that was stolen from the Storm Spire, many years ago. While generally rumours are not something they take a great deal of interest in, this item in particular caught the attention of the Dragon King. And when the Dragon King wants something investigated, it gets investigated.

It turned out to be nothing other than rumours - the mercenaries thought it would be a good idea to lie and claim they had been responsible for the theft to gain clout, not expecting real consequences as a result. Their surprise when the door to their hangout was broken down and Runaan's team moved in to search the place was almost poetic. Until they got bold and decided to start fighting, at least - wasting even more time with their conduct.

Rayla shares all of this with Claudia who listens intently, curiosity and concern both evident even through her familiar.

"That's crazy! Who lies about committing a crime? So stupid."

"I'm glad you agree. I thought it was really dumb of them, too."

The deer scans her body over, from her feet to the horns on her head, lingering just enough for Rayla to feel heat rise up her neck before it moves forward to lick at a cut on her arm.

"Are you injured? I know a couple of healing spells, I could try one if you'd like? It probably won't work through the link though... But those cuts look sore, it couldn't hurt to try?"

Other than a few small injuries, she's fine. Rayla has gone through far worse than a failed search-and-retrieve mission, and lived to tell the tale. But being fussed over by a pretty girl? That's not quite as common an occurrence for her, and she has no doubt it shows in the pink flush now adorning her face. She's really glad Claudia is focused on her arm and not looking at her.

"I'll be okay, it'll take a lot more than some cuts and bruises to keep me down." To prove her point, Rayla does a swift pose to flex her arms and show they're working just fine. "Thank you, though. It means a lot that you care so much about me."

Claudia takes a moment to respond which isn't like her, and it sounds like she is a bit distracted when she does.

_Maybe there's something happening where she is that's caught her attention? It's pretty late, though._

"Everything alright, Claudia? Not like you to be quiet."

Whatever it was she was distracted by, she snaps out of it quickly enough, clearing her throat and hurrying to answer Rayla's question.

"I'm fine! Sorry, yea, lost my train of thought for a minute there. So, your mission, what was it you were looking for anyways?"

It sounds suspiciously like Claudia is trying to change the subject, but with no evidence to back up her suspicions Rayla has to let it go. For now, anyways.

"Right... Well, I'm not really sure I should be telling people, so as always this stays between us, okay?"

"Okay!"

"We were looking for a mirror. I know, that sounds silly, I don't know what is so special about a mirror either. But considering they wouldn't tell us what it was for, I have to assume it isn't just his own reflection Avizandum is trying to see again."

"Do you know what the mirror looks like?"

That wasn't the line of questioning Rayla had expected from the other girl. As would be expected from a mage, Claudia often gets lost in the details of the magic found throughout Xadia, pestering Rayla for information and explanations outside her area of expertise. Claudia didn't seem like a particularly appearance-driven person, that said, so her focusing on what the mirror looks like as opposed to what it does is an interesting change. A change that Rayla feels duty-bound to investigate.

She repeats the description Runaan had given her of the mirror - gilded edges and intricate runes carved into its sides, standing taller than man or elf, dark glass that both invites and reflects any image presented to it.

It's a very... _familiar_ description, unbeknownst to Rayla. Claudia had known as she asked her question, exactly what mirror it was that Rayla had been sent to find.

She'd spent many an evening trying to crack its secrets, after all.

Their evening talks continue for a while longer before they both retire to bed, Claudia unable to root her concentration very well after being given this new information. One thought persisted, through conversations and, later, through sleep that would not come to her - her father would never have gotten rid of that mirror, knowing what Rayla has just told her.

And now, she needs to find it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> I imagine that the elves all know who Viren is, considering how high ranking he is and the fact he has been at the centre of a number of incidents in Xadia now, but wouldn't know much about his kids, especially Claudia who isn't involved with the military like Soren.
> 
> Likewise, Rayla's parents are close with the Dragon King so it's not that she thinks Claudia would betray her exactly, but more that it's not worth risking any information accidentally getting to her dad that could be used against them. 
> 
> Fun fact, the only two concepts that I initially had when thinking about starting this fic were the 'legend of the moon' in chapter 1, and scenes of Rayla chatting to a bunch of black familiars belonging to Claudia. That was it, the rest has grown exponentially with time. 
> 
> Feel free to comment below and let me know what you think of the story!


	11. Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My little story has reached 1000 hits! I never thought I'd get so many, I'm so happy! Thank you to everyone who has read and followed until now :)
> 
> This chapter is mostly just getting the story moving along, so I can get onto writing more gals being pals. :p
> 
> Enjoy!

Sneaking, as it turns out, happens to be a skill of Claudia's, to the strong dismay of those who happen to share space in the castle with her. Unlike her new pointy-eared friend, however, this talent was not practiced nor intentional - a natural result of wearing dark colours that blend into the, at times, poorly lit castle, and of being light on her feet.

_"And a lack of awareness,"_ as her family would likely contribute.

Her father would have gone to bed hours ago by now, she knew. His days of mad pacing in the late hours having become a distant memory, he has grown to prefer greeting the day early so as to get the most done with his time. Or that's what he tells her. Either way, she won't be able to sleep until she has sated her curious urge to snoop.

Creeping down the hall proves easy, growing up in the castle her whole life means she could probably recite the guards' patrols in her sleep. Working with her father ensured she always knew when they changed.

_"It's nice when things work out."_ She thinks, as she makes her way unbothered to her destination.

As she reaches the door to her father's study, she quickly traces the rune needed to unlock the door above the handle, which hums subtly in her hand as she twists it open and enters. The door clicks quietly behind her, locking her in if anyone were to attempt to follow her. The office is tidy, and as she looks around it in the low light streaming in from the window, it feels foreign to her for a brief moment.

The last time she was here this late would have been many years ago, watching from the crack in the same door that now held her there. On instinct, her sight drifts to the spot the mirror had always sat, those years ago. Old memories flood back, of her father spending long hours sitting staring into his own darkened reflection. Her muscles pull for her to flee, back to her bed and to forget this quest of hers.

"There is no synonym for cinnamon... There is no synonym for cinnamon... There is no synonym for cinnamon..."

She takes a minute to calm herself and push away the thoughts that insist on returning, and focuses back on the office. Pushing away from the door, she slowly makes her way around to sit at her father's desk, lighting the lantern that sits on it with a flick of her hand. The desk is cleaner than she had subconsciously been expecting - often her father's train of thought leaves a literal trail of papers in his wake. It's one of the few things they have in common, and she had been counting on that more than she would care to admit.

_What, he seriously chooses now to start learning to organise? Just when I decide to take advantage of it? Not cool, dad..._

Disheartened, she rummages through the drawers on his desk before getting up to pace around. As she does, she runs a finger along the shelf by her head, skimming over the vast collection of tomes and journals gathered here over a lifetime of work. If she had to guess, she's probably read every book in here multiple times over.

Or so she had thought.

Backing up a couple paces, her attention is drawn to a journal she does not recognise and she pulls it out of its place, snug amongst a dozen others. In itself, there's nothing special about it - dark leather binding and delicate pages speak to its age, another antique buried in a room full of items older than this castle. To anyone else's eyes, it would be easily lost amongst the selection of literature.

The book feels comfortable in her hands as she holds it, and curiosity getting the best of her she sits down in the light to read its contents. As is to be expected for its age, the ink on the pages has started to fade and she has to focus to make out some parts.

The spells inside are an interesting mix; some of them are known to Claudia, and others are a mystery. With each page she skims through, she can't shake a feeling of déjà vu, despite knowing that the presence of spells she does not recognise confirms she has never read this journal before. For all its intrigue, the journal is slim and it does not take her long to reach the end, sharp penmanship concise and making use of the space on each page.

At a glance, they could have been her own notes - the similarity enough to give her pause, but also allowing her to brush off the familiarity brought on by reading them as misplaced.

Her absent musings fade abruptly as the last pages pass through her fingertips, attention drawn to the final spell before the sheets turn blank. Compared to the start of the writings within the journal this spell is more disoriented and messy, as if the author had reworked it several times over. Even with her experience in dark magic, it still takes Claudia a few reads to understand what the purpose of the spell is, and then several more to understand its implications.

The purpose of the spell was simple enough; it would summon a phantom copy of an entity to do the caster's bidding.

The _implications_ of the spell, tucked away in her father's office that only magic could access...

_"...they're elves... but this isn't our magic..."_

Rayla's words from the gala ring true - as now she knows, holding the proof in her hands, the spell used to wreck the celebration.

_"...the elves are not be trusted, and I fear things may not go smoothly tonight..."_

The spell used to destroy any hope of peace between both sides.

_"...outside the two of us in this room, there are no other mages in Katolis that could have done such a thing..."_

The spell used to kill King Harrow.

_"...I will do what is best for the kingdom..."_

Cast by her own father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She takes it with her when she leaves, clutched against her chest while her heart beats a cry against the leather cover. Hides it in another book amongst the rest on her shelves, until she knows what it is she wants to do with it.

She _wants_ to forget about it. Pretend it doesn't exist and things will go back to normal.

But then she thinks of Callum and Ezran, their broken cries next to Harrow's body on the ballroom floor. Every time she thinks of Harrow, her father's words echo in her ears, meanings twisting and corrupting until she isn't sure what to believe.

She also thinks of Rayla, thinks of all the elves, and the progress they could have made with Xadia if it weren't for her father's actions.

_Rayla... I wonder what she'd think about this._

Imagining the look on Rayla's face at being told of Viren's involvement makes her want to find a corner to curl up and hide in - no matter how she thinks about it, her father's actions reflect on her, and it is not an honourable burden to bear.

A few days pass while Claudia tries to sort herself and her thoughts, putting off next talking to Rayla until she is confident she can keep a hold of herself. She isn't sure what reaction to expect from Rayla if she were to find out, so she resolves to keep that from happening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keeping secrets has never been Claudia's strongest ability, she ends up telling Rayla anyways.

With remarkably little prompting, too.

In truth, she had barely slept for days now, and her façade of normal, cheery Claudia was showing some noticeable cracks - they may not have been talking for the longest time, but Rayla had become attuned to the other girl's usual tone and antics. Their absence was more concerning than she could cope with, and she had only needled at Claudia for a little while to try and get her to open up.

And open up she did. It really didn't take much at all to get her talking, the difference striking Rayla in how they both handle their emotions - if determined enough, Rayla could hide her thoughts forever. Clearly an ability Claudia seemed to lack.

It was endearing, even though hearing her cry squeezed Rayla's heart, reaching through their magic conversation just to do so.

Once she had calmed down enough to speak properly, the truth came out - everything about Claudia's search for the mirror, and finding the spell instead - confirming the suspicions she'd had ever since the attack on the gala about it having been someone on the inside responsible.

"What do you mean, you 'suspected him this whole time'? Is that what you've been thinking while we've been talking, Rayla?"

Still, she probably shouldn't have voiced that opinion. A silly mistake in hindsight, for despite all his many, _many_ faults, he's still Claudia's father and she loves him.

"I'm sorry, Claudia. He's the only one with the means and motive to have done this, it wasn't hard to think. And it turns out I'm right, aren't I?"

"Why didn't you say anything to me? You could have told me!"

"Claudia... What would I have said? Would you have even listened to me? You would have just taken his side."

"This isn't about sides! You lied to me, you knew about this and said nothing."

"I did not lie to you! For all I knew about you at the time, you could have helped him do it."

"...you really think I'd do something like that?"

It was at this point that Rayla knew, she had fucked up.

Gone was the anger and indignation in the words, replaced with... nothing. No more tears or accusatory words, and spoken in a way so foreign to Claudia's usual joking tone, that Rayla actually recoiled into herself the tiniest bit. The mage's fight had left her, up and crushed all the argument from her lungs on its way out the door.

Rayla's apology comes fast, but still too late, as the familiar Claudia had been using had already dissolved into the darkness swirling around her feet, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayla continues to sneak out to their usual spot by the river, each night waiting for hours and hoping Claudia has stopped being mad at her. Days pass with no rustle of leaves or dark, black animals nipping at her clothes to mark the other girl's presence.

The trees don't make for as good company as they used to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Sweet dreams' is an oxymoron, or so Rayla thinks. Nothing about her dreams have ever been sweet, riddled with dread and discomfort as they are. The years have dulled the sensations, even if they never fully leave. Legs dragging as she makes her way along the dark corridor, the usual blackness is broken with a strong beam of moonlight streaming in through a window to her side. She can't say for sure whether or not it has always been there.

On entering the room at the end of the line, something is immediately off - the girl is no longer moving in place, sitting instead upon the shadows that cling to the entirety of the room, risen up in place to support her. Her back remains towards Rayla, long dark hair is all that is visible, the rest of her lower body obscured by the coiling darkness.

Her feet plant themselves firmly at the doorway, refusing to move her forward no matter how hard she tries. The answer to her decade long mystery is sitting mere feet from her, she knows it, knows somewhere _deep_ in her bones that lurch forwards even when the rest of her cannot.

_Help her..._

It's not a voice that calls to her, of that she is sure. No words have been aired since she arrived - she doesn't dare to break the silence between them, and risk losing the chance in front of her. Her visitor had not acknowledged her presence yet, focused on something in her lap Rayla cannot see from where she stands.

In the trance she was under, it is not clear to Rayla when this changed, but at some point the girl had sat up and turned her head in the direction of the too-large doorway she stood frozen in. Not fully, not turned enough that Rayla could see her face, but enough that she knew of the girl's attention on her.

_Help her..._

The phrase comes to Rayla again, louder this time. Not as words, no... as a feeling, perhaps. She feels them in her chest and in her mind, placed there from a realm she does not exist in.

"Help who? Who are you?"

The girl does not answer, turning her head away again and focusing back on her lap.

Moments flow past them both with only the shadows moving between them, it seems that one of them is done talking. Unwilling to give up without a fight, Rayla struggles against the force holding her in place, eventually breaking free and taking a step into the room. The excitement is short lived, as when her foot lands again it is swallowed into the black that now reaches up for her, sinking staggeredly down and throwing off her balance.

Righting herself only serves to make her predicament worse, as correcting her stance with her free leg causes her to step further into the room and start sinking into the floor, once again freezing her in place. Every attempt to move allows the black to drag her down faster until the girl's back disappears from view.

_Help her..._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Rayla wakes in her bed, she is still fighting against the shadows holding her down. It takes a few more kicks for her blanket to go flying off of her, and slowly the surroundings of her bedroom come back into focus. The light of the full Moon streams in through her window, blinding her briefly, and she gets up to close the curtains over properly.

Movement in the garden catches her eye, and she notices that Runaan's moonstrider is moping around the flower pond's edge, clearly missing her owner. With Runaan away on a mission, it would be easy to sneak out of the house tonight with only Ethari in, snoring away through multiple walls.

_Help her..._

Claudia. It has to be her; she's definitely on the edge of trouble, if it hasn't already found her.

She makes sure to at least stick a note on Ethari's door, before making her way around to the back of the house, light travel pack strapped over her shoulder full of needed supplies. Runaan's moonstrider perks up at the sight of her, trotting over to nip impatiently at her sleeve. It accepts the treat she holds out for it - she knows she's not supposed to spoil them, "it makes them too tame", as Runaan had said to her many times. But they've got a long journey ahead, and she would like to start it with them both on good terms.

"Let's go find out what trouble she's in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just as Rayla had been ejected from her dream, someone else was also working on their next step. Deep within the bowels of Katolis Castle, a Shadowlife candle is lit once again.

_Bring terror to Del-Bar!_

_To Neolandia!_

_To Evenere!_

_And to Duren!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> The journal Claudia found in Viren's office is the one that belonged to one of her previous lives. That's why she was drawn to it the way she was, she recognised it somewhere deep in her soul as technically being hers. 
> 
> And yes, I do occasionally reference memes in the story, sorry for those who may find that annoying but I think it's hilarious. 
> 
> Tried a few new style things while writing this chapter, let me know what you think of it in the comments! :)


	12. Retreat Was Out of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished my last batch of exams for the summer, so I'll be focusing more on this story from here on, hopefully! 
> 
> A very Claudia-centric chapter, as the story is mostly focused around her for this next bit. However, the eagle-eyed amongst you will be able to spot the hint as to what Rayla is up to. ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

Claudia wouldn't consider herself one for licking her wounds, but it had all been too much. Too much, and too fast, and too difficult. She hadn't meant to avoid the reality in front of her, it had just happened - but what was she supposed to do? Confront him about what he's done? Report him?

It wouldn't bring Harrow back. That possibility might have made it easier for her to decide, but unfortunately would not help her here.

_Not like you can just bring people back from the dead, anyways._

She tried, once.

Concocted her own ritual from things in her dad's office, and even managed to rope Soren into it with her. That mess took a long while to scrub back out of the floorboards. The look on her father's face when they told him what they'd tried to do still appeared in her nightmares, the ones about her mother.

Worrying about her father's crimes was not the only thing that was keeping her awake, with the odd thought of Rayla pressing in from the edges of her mind when too tired to push everything away. The thoughts pull her in opposing directions, torn between missing her and still being mad at her.

Once again, she is on a hunt through the castle looking for her father who has been conspicuously missing for days now. Where usually Claudia would have been more willing to allow him some privacy to himself, he had spoiled that privilege with his actions and she refused to let him get too far away from her. So, like a child, he has seemingly decided to hide from her. A choice that makes her stomach ache any time she puts thought into it.

_Fine, if he wants to avoid me then that's up to him. Not like I don't have other ways to watch him._

Hands brace against the cold metal handle for a moment, before pushing into the chamber beyond. The crows high in the rafters chitter and shriek at her as she steps into the room, scanning for the elusive staff that work in the message room.

"Crow Lord?"

There is no response, and she makes her way over the large table covered in various missives from around the kingdom. Before she can select one of interest to her, the heavy doors bang open and shut again behind her, drawing her attention to them and the slim figure that is surprised to see her.

"Miss Claudia?"

"Crow Master! Good to see you, are you in charge for the day?"

He relaxes visibly with her greeting, still skittish like he often is but less so to see her standing there.

_Hmm, I wonder who he was expecting..._

It's not hard to guess who Crow Master had been nervous about potentially being in his workspace, and the thought confirms to her that the answers she's seeking are likely within her grasp. Deliberately approaching him slowly with a smile, she doesn't want to give away that anything is out of the ordinary.

"Hello! Yes, I am. Crow Lord is taking some... personal time, so I'm holding the fort for him for a little while. Is there something I can help you with?" He is juggling some scrolls in his arms, but returns the smile with a slight flush as she comes close enough to him to be able to talk quietly.

Before she has the chance to respond to his question, one of the scrolls he is carrying catches her eye. On it, the bold insignia of Neolandia stands proud against the pale parchment.

"Is that a message from Neolandia?"

Crow Master looks down towards the scroll in his arms, and only then seems to remember what he is holding.

"Oh, yes! I was looking for your father but I can't find him, have you seen him?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't. I can take it for him, if you'd like?"

He looks unsure, glancing down at the scroll again and back up to meet Claudia's eyes.

"I'm... He was very clear that I was to only give this to him, no one else. Not even you. I'm sorry, Claudia."

Now, that was new. It was widely accepted within the castle that whatever her father was a part of, Claudia was automatically involved too. To be refused now, after everything she's learned... It might have worked a couple weeks ago, but whatever is in that letter has to be something she would not want to see.

Unfortunately for Crow Master, he does not have the same intimidating presence that his superior possesses, or else what happened next would have likely been avoided. Taking advantage of his general anxious and clumsy demeanor proved easy, and within a second of him finishing his statement Claudia had already whipped the scroll in question out of the bundle in his arms.

"Um... I really don't think you should be doing that, Claudia."

Claudia couldn't be certain of exactly what expression is on her face right now, but with a glance up to meet his eyes, he snaps his mouth closed and watches her open the scroll in front of him without further comment.

_To the Kingdom of Katolis,_

_I am writing to inform of an attack committed against the Kingdom of Neolandia. On the third sunset of this month, King Ahling was injured in an assassination we believe to have been ordered by Xadia._

_The beings who attacked the kingdom were of a similar likeness to those who attacked the late King Harrow. It is believed that the words spoken by Lord Viren are indeed true, and that Xadia intends war with humanity. As such, the Neolandian army is being mobilised and will be ready to march in two weeks time, where we will ally with Katolis in pursuing the threat to our lands._

_On behalf of my father, I will ensure that our kingdoms exterminate the Xadian threat._

_Prince Kasef._

As the last few words are read, anger begins to burn in her chest, hot and twisting. The letter in her hands starts to smolder, and then catches alight, crumbling into ashes by their feet. Magic courses through her veins, fuelled by the unexpected rage at learning more about what her father has done - not satisfied with his own kingdom, and now attacking others.

Crow Master jumps when she looks back up from the pile of ashes, dark magic swirling in her eyes and unsettling, especially this close. He doesn't move, doesn't say anything either, just stands there as if staying still enough that she hopefully can't see him. Her eyes may be black, but she can still see him just fine. But she waits until it fades, before talking to him.

"This letter never arrived. You didn't see it, and you didn't see me. Do you understand?"

The only response he is able to give is a nod, and it is good enough. Pushing the last of the anger within her deep down, she places a friendly hand on his shoulder and shoots a smile that is not returned, subtly moving him out of the doorframe so she can leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hiding in her room is a very temporary comfort, one she knows will end soon. Her father had gone too far, done too many awful things for her to continue keeping her silence. Options for where to turn are limited - Amaya is still away with her men, Gren is with her, Harrow is gone, Soren is useless - but with a start she realises there's one person within the castle who would listen to her and be able to help.

Opeli.

She would certainly listen, but the thing about Opeli is that she's a real stickler for the rules. She's not going to pursue an accusation without evidence, even if it comes from Claudia. Turning towards the bookshelves in her room, she makes her way over to grab the one containing the journal she had found - the one with the spell used to attack the human leaders. The spell should hopefully work as evidence enough to convince her, with Claudia explaining what it has been used to do.

The light catching something on her desk draws her attention with a spike of guilt, to the braid of pretty white hair still placed unassumingly amongst her things. It stays where she left it, having not used it to search for Rayla in over a week.

Fear and anxiety around what she's about to do rises in her chest; the desire to seek out her friend for comfort presents itself with the sight of the braid and everything it stands for.

_She was right... I should have listened to her. Even if she is an ass._

A smaller voice in the back of her mind insists that Rayla is far from the only one who was behaving inconsiderately, and the thought is enough to push her into moving and not just standing there staring at her desk. Placing the journal down, she grabs the braid and her mirror, conjuring herself a raven like she had the first time she did this.

When the bird spawns on the other side of her enchantment, the mirror blinks to life, literally, with her familiar as it glances around at its surroundings. Immediately something is wrong, the area around far removed from the magical environment of Xadia that Claudia had grown used to seeing. Confused, she orders the raven into the sky to better decipher it's location.

The sight she is greeted by is by no means any less confusing - the uneven towers of Katolis castle clear in the distance, breaking through the trees and mountains.

_What? What's going on, did I mess up the spell?_

Dissolving the familiar, she refocuses herself and casts again, pouring more of her energy into the location spell this time around in case she was the problem. But again the same green, unmagical sight emerges on the mirror, and is confirmed with the sight of the castle still present above the trees.

Frustration burns her eyes, the raven and enchantment dissolving again as she throws the mirror from her hand and watches it shatter against the far wall. Unlike as a child, the guards don't come rushing in to check on her this time, allowing her a few moments to school her emotions.

Claudia grabs the journal more roughly than is necessary, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her and making her way towards the High Cleric's chambers. The patrols that usually make their rounds through the winding hallways are a little on the light side, a thought she doesn't know what to make of but it ultimately helps her make her way through the castle without being watched. The guards in the castle are all pretty nice, but they also gossip like no other group she's ever met.

Sometimes she joins in. Only sometimes.

There are two placed outside Opeli's room, and assuming that means her target is inside, Claudia pushes past them and knocks sharply on the decorative door. No answer comes, and she catches the guards nearby giving each other inquisitive looks above her head. Deciding to use her relatively high status in the castle to her advantage, Claudia opens the door without a welcome and intrudes into Opeli's room, the guard by her right turning to scold her lightly but not moving to stop her.

Stepping into Opeli's room, the curtains are open and bed neatly made, not an item out of place - except from the absence of its inhabitant. The guards on the door shouldn't be there if Opeli isn't here, and she turns to question them both.

Her father stands in the doorway to the room, staff held in front of him in his disappointed dad stance that she's been on the receiving end of many times. Instinctively, she hides the journal behind her so he can't see it.

_No, you don't get to look disappointed in me. Not after everything you've done._

She wants to scream at him, wants to make him admit what she has caught him doing. Wants him to look down and see the blood dripping from his hands, as she does every time she looks at him.

"Opeli is taking some time to herself, said something about going to see her family for a while."

"Then why were the guards watching an empty room? Wouldn't they know she was away?"

The guards have been dismissed. Her father doesn't like anyone listening in on their "family matters". Viren doesn't answer her, closing the door behind him and moving slowly closer to her.

"It was a recent development, she didn't want everyone knowing her business. Though, the guard patrols were supposed to have been changed, I will look into that." He has that sickly sweet tone to his voice, the one he uses to make you feel like you're imagining things, like he's always the innocent one, the same voice he's used on her far too many times.

He's closer now, close enough that she knows it must be obvious that she's hiding something behind her back. Neither of them are idiots - she knows the truth, and he knows she does.

This is just a game; he's running through the excuses and reasons he can give her in his mind, trying to pick the one that she'll believe.

_Guess I do still know him. I just wish I didn't have to._

She doesn't get to find out what one he would select, as his eyes narrow at her and drag down expectantly towards where her hand is tucked out of his view.

"And what have you got there, Claudia?"

Every single fibre of rage in her muscles rises to meet the challenge, a streak of stubbornness in her she's never directed at him before making itself larger between them, hypothetical hackles raised.

"How about you answer my question for a change, where is Opeli?"

"I already told you-"

"She wouldn't just leave! Do you really think I'm that stupid? That I wouldn't realise what is going on? You need to stop this!"

"Claudia, darling, listen to me-"

"No! Stop lying to me!"

He's between her and the door out, but he's not as smart as he likes to think. And he's certainly not as smart as she is, despite what he seems to think. The wall to her left, the one she's been inching towards and away from him - it leads directly into the hallway adjacent to the one Opeli's door is on. He thinks she's trapped, but she's not.

_Seems I'm not the only one who doesn't know their own family anymore, father._

There is only a brief warning before he lunges for her, attempting to grab for the journal she refuses to give him, his brow lowering for a split second as his insincere patience melts away. Weeks of bottled thoughts and emotions flood her system, fuelling the magic as it rips down her arm, tossing him back and into the large bedframe with a startling crack.

Heart freezing in her chest, she holds a breath until he groans and starts to right himself. He raises his staff in her direction, but she doesn't allow him the chance to voice whatever spell he has on the back of his tongue, rushing out a quick incantation of her own and blasting a large hole in the wall to her left. Which she then repeats to cause the ceiling above the new renovation to collapse and seal up her exit.

Her father's scream follows her through the rubble; they both know he can't follow her.

Adrenaline running through her system proves a disadvantage now the immediate danger has been removed, and she freezes in the hall trying to decide what to do next. There is no one of authority left in the castle for her to turn to, the rest of the high-ranking officials still present are all favourable to her father, there's no guarantee they'd do anything to oppose him.

But, there are people outside of the castle that can still stop whatever is happening.

Claudia doesn't know where Opeli has disappeared to, and it now looks increasingly unlikely she is going to find her. That leaves one responsible person who will listen, and she knows where to find them - General Amaya is still guarding the border, her father wouldn't want the general anywhere near the castle while he tries to usurp the throne.

_And succeeds._ She can't help but add darkly.

That's where they need to go, Amaya will be able to stop this from continuing any further.

Where they need to go...

_The princes! They can't stay here, it's not safe._

Plan coming together in her mind, she runs off in the direction of Callum and Ezran's room, knowing she doesn't have much time before her father catches up to her. The run there feels like it is over instantly, and simultaneously lasts forever - she absently thinks that she should have taken Soren's nagging to exercise with him more seriously. When she arrives at their room, she doesn't bother with knocking, crashing the door open into Callum's part of the space.

It's empty, clothes thrown around haphazardly. With a saner mindset, Claudia would have known that Callum's bedroom is usually a bit messy, but these are not saner times - she quickly starts to panic, calling out for the boys and about to run off back down the hall until something small and not-entirely dry smacks off the side of her head.

Fist raised to meet whatever was waiting for her, she turns to look down the darker end of the hall to see Soren waving her down, another jelly tart in his hand. Matching the one by her feet, she can already feel her hair starting to stick together. She rushes to meet him, magic draining fully from her arms when Ezran and Callum peek out from behind a pillar near where he stands. Not stopping, she runs until she can throw herself in their direction, dragging them all as much into a hug as she can, tears of relief stinging at her eyes.

"I'm so glad to see you all okay! We need to leave, now. Dad's dangerous, he's hurt people."

"I know. I think he's done something to Opeli." Soren's words are muffled against her hair, but he's holding her tight with an arm around her waist.

She pulls back to look at them all, noticing for the first time they're all wearing traveling packs. Callum is holding what she assumes to be one for her, as well as the primal stone from her room.

"Guys, look!"

All four of them break from the loose embrace, turning to where Ezran is pointing down the long hall. Two more of her father's shadow assassins have appeared at the far end, and have now spotted them.

"Run!" Soren shoves Callum by the shoulder to get him moving, and out of the way for Soren to take the lead with his sword drawn. The princes are between Claudia and him, and she uses the same trick she used against her father to collapse the ceiling and cut off the pursuit. She almost feels guilty about destroying large chunks of the castle.

_It's a castle, they can afford the renovations._

Almost.

Ezran stops abruptly in front of her, causing her to almost slam right into him, veering off towards a different hallway Soren had headed for.

"Wait! Guys, it's this way!"

Callum and Soren skid to a halt, turning to give him matching confused looks.

"Ez, you said we should go this way!"

"There's different ways! Just follow me." He sets off down the path he has chosen, Soren rushing ahead to protect him from the front again.

Claudia doesn't know what they're talking about, but the implication of some sort of plan being in action is a comfort. She'll follow them wherever they decide, preoccupied with watching their backs for the attackers to catch up to their group. Though, this path definitely looks like a dead end to her, solid stone wall in front of Ezran as he comes to a stop.

She is just about to ask what's going on, when Ezran starts tapping all over the stones on the wall, talking to himself as he does so.

"Stone, stone, rock, stone, rock, rock..."

The rhythm of his pattern fades out in her ears, as the two figures following them round the corner further down the hall. Soren falls into step by her side, sword drawn and brow low, ready to fight by her side. The two shadows make strides in their direction, and Claudia primes the spell to turn them to stone in her hands.

"Aspiro!"

Claudia's hair whips around her face, blown roughly by the spell cast from behind her. She scrambles a little in trying to clear her vision, searching out for the approaching attack that is not going to come - the hallway is empty, weapons that belonged to the assassins scattered a ways down the hall. Soren sends her a dumb look when she catches his eye, and they turn in tandem to face Callum who stands behind them with her primal stone grasped in his hand.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Claudia can't hold back the surprise in her voice, she'd know if Callum knew how to cast magic.

"Oh! Uh..." He tugs at his scarf, apparently as surprised as the rest of them as he regards the stone in his hand. "I guess, you taught me."

"I never taught you that?"

"Well, you sort of did. Remember that day in the library?"

Callum looks at her expectantly for a moment, face falling when recognition fails to register and he realises he's going to have to explain further, sighing.

"You blew peanut butter breath at me? Then ran off to do some weird magic stuff."

Oh, that's right, she did do that. And it was hilarious, but she didn't exactly teach him how to do anything. He must have seen the rune for what, a second?

"You managed to pick up a spell just from that?"

"Yea? That's all it is, a drawing and a saying, right?"

A drawing, he's cute. The urge to squish his face right now is very strong, but he doesn't seem to like that very much.

"It's a rune, not a drawing." His face falls slightly, and she realises it's because he thinks he's being scolded. "But... I think you might just be a fine mage, one day."

His eyes shoot up to meet hers, lighting up his whole face with the smile that follows as he understands what she means.

"You really think I can be a mage?"

It's been so long since he's looked so happy, and she wants to never let that go again. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she can't help her own smile in return.

"You're already a mage. You did magic."

Callum looks like he _might_ be about to cry, but she's not going to say anything about it right now. Her thought is broken by him throwing his hands up in the air, bouncing a little in place as he does.

"I'm a mage!"

"Shhh! Callum, we need to be quiet." Ezran holds Bait in his arm, one hand held almost threateningly in front of his lips in the univeral sign for "shut up".

"Yea, we need to get moving. Should be a clear shot down and out from here."

The shock of Soren being the voice of reason is worse than Callum nearly smacking her in the face with the primal stone a moment ago. He and Ezran are making their way down into the tunnel that has opened up behind the wall Ezran had been tapping on, and she moves to follow them after grabbing her pack from a disracted Callum.

She's not certain, but she thinks she hears him continue to say "I'm a mage" under his breath from where he is a few paces behind her.

Eventually, the tunnel they are following comes to an end, with Ezran repeating a similar pattern on the last wall that opens out into a clearing somewhere below the castle. There are three horses waiting for them, some supplies strapped to their hinds. Ezran is too young to be left to handle his own horse, so it makes sense that he would ride with one of them.

"Soren, did you plan all of this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hey, I do occasionally have good ideas. Just call me Sor-ine the Mastermind." Soren wastes no time in fluffing himself up, but his joke misses its targets. He sighs, eyes downcast and not looking at her. "Honestly, Claudia? I wasn't sure, that if it came to a choice between me and dad... that you would choose me."

She wants to be offended. But her conversation with Rayla flashes in her memory, a similar sentiment being spoken by two of the closest people in her life, and she can't be. A month ago, she herself isn't sure what choice she would have made, would she have gone with Soren then? Not knowing what she knew now?

Probably not.

Soren is still not looking at her. He shouldn't feel bad about being right about her, and she's mostly just happy she still has him. Still has all of them, thanks to Soren not being as useless as she had written him off as being.

He jumps when she hugs him, face tucked under his chin. "I'm not upset. Thanking you for not leaving without me."

"I couldn't leave without at least giving you a chance."

They pull away from their hug, moving towards their horses to prepare to leave. Callum approaches her, as Ezran tries unsuccessfully to get up on to their horse just behind him, forcing her to hold back a laugh. Callum turns the primal stone over in his hands.

"I guess you probably want this back?"

The stone is held out towards her, and she reaches out to place a hand on it, pushing it gently back towards Callum who looks at her curiously.

"You keep it, you'll use it better than me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, maybe one day you'll get to teach me something."

Unable to resist, she winks at him, catching his flush out of the corner of her eye as she crouches down to look through her pack, finally remembering the journal she's been holding like a lifeline.

"Oh, I packed your bag so I'm sorry if anything is missing. It was kind of in a rush. But there's some extra clothes, and I grabbed the books that were on your desk too."

There's one particular item she hopes to find in her pack, but a couple searches fall short. It makes sense that Callum wouldn't have thought to pack it - what's so important about a braid? Still, she had hoped he might have.

_I suppose I won't have much time to talk to her now, anyways._

"Thanks, Callum. You've done a good job."

He beams at her one last time, heading off to help Ezran finally up onto the poor horse they are both sharing, primal stone tucked in one of the sidebags on their mount.

"We need to put as much distance between us and the castle as possible." Claudia climbs up on to her horse, manuevering into the lead of the group. "General Amaya should still be at the border, that's where we should go."

Soren nods his agreement, motioning for Callum to follow after Claudia so he and Ezran are once again between the two older siblings. Their journey to cross the kingdom begins, headed for the fortress on the breach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> Just because I don't want anyone worrying, Opeli is okay, but she'll be out of the story for a bit. 
> 
> I'm a bit flaky on how big the continent is to travel in the show, so going off how it appeared to only taka Amaya a few days on horseback to reach the border, I'm basing the journey on that which means the group will be moving faster than in the show. 
> 
> As always, please comment and kudos below if you're enjoying reading!


	13. Meet You Under the Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made the decision to change how I write this story a little bit going forward to start getting chapters published more often. As it was, I was spending far too much time focusing on wording for each section of the story and it was making writing them take ages. It's not going to be a big change, I'm just focusing more on the story element rather than the atmosphere. As always, I'm open to criticism so please, feel free to tell me what you think about the writing and the pacing in a comment! 
> 
> Enjoy!

The group travel for a couple hours, until the light in the sky begins to recede behind the trees. There has been no sign of pursuit from the castle, but that does not mean they are in the clear. Their horses are beginning to slow down, tired from the lack of rest, and when they arrive in an area amongst the trees with some space to spread out Soren dismounts from his and starts walking around the perimeter of the clearing - checking the area for any disturbances that would tell them to keep moving, but he doesn't find any.

"I think we should be okay to stay here for the night. What do you think, Clauds?"

Callum and Ezran have both slid off their horse too, waiting to see if they should start pulling down supplies to set up.

"Looks fine to me, I can cover our camp with an illusion so no one will see it."

Seeing her start to dismount, Callum and Soren begin unloading their food and sleeping kits to set up camp for the night. Following the path Soren walked a moment ago, Claudia walks the boundary of the clearing repeating the incantation to cast her illusion spell.

"...sterces ruo revoc, skcart ruo ksam... sterces ruo revoc, skcart ruo ksam... sterces ruo revoc, skcart ruo ksaM"

As she completes the circle and enchantment, a ring of magic flows from her and along the same path as her feet had, spreading up into the air and blurring the view of the trees just outside its reach. The last of the spell fades away from her body, marking its completion.

"Spell's done!" The boys have done a good job setting up; all their sleeping bags have been set up around the camp and the horses settled, Ezran is collecting branches and placing them in the centre where Soren is working on getting a fire going. Walking over, she snaps her fingers right in front of his face creating a spark that lights the fire immediately, and he bounces back with a clatter and a squeal.

"Claudia! You could have burned me!"

His hair is smoking just the tiniest bit, causing them to all burst out laughing as he pats it down and swipes it back out of his face.

"You can make dinner for doing that."

"It was worth it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner does get made, and by the time everyone has eaten, the crescent of the Moon sits high above the treetops. Claudia, Soren and Ezran are talking quietly around the campfire, with Callum occasionally joining in between staring at his sketchbook and the primal stone. Ezran has taken on the job of keeping the fire stocked up with firewood, one of the few he can help with and wanting to do his bit to help. But the exertion of the day is beginning to show, and his head keeps nodding onto Soren, who is half holding him upright.

Just as Callum gets up to prep his brother's sleeping bag, Ezran snaps up from his nap and turns to look behind him into the trees, almost giving Soren a heart attack. They all brace themselves, unsure what's woke him up.

"I think I can hear someone." He tries to get up and head towards the trees he's looking into, with Callum grabbing him by his shirt to stop him.

"Everyone get down. Stay quiet."

Soren is on his feet now, in a partial crouch to hide behind the foliage and his sword glinting in the low light from the Moon. Motioning to Callum to keep Ezran back, he creeps towards the boundary of the illusion over the area. Claudia moves to join him, taking cover by his side just within the camp.

"They won't see us through the illusion, you know."

"No offense Clauds, but I've had enough of your spells backfire on me to not just trust them blindly."

Both siblings quiet their bickering as Ezran proves to be right - they can definitely make out a voice from somewhere nearby. It's distant, floating brokenly through the night air, but there. Whoever it is, they don't sound particularly happy, the words less like someone talking in conversation and closer to angry mutterings. If she really focuses, Claudia can make out the odd word or phrase being spoken, mostly complaints about the land and getting lost and... humans?

Despite Soren telling them all to keep their heads down, she can't help straining to see who it is, and that's when Claudia thinks she sees a flash of white hair between the trees. Soren must have seen it too, as he speaks to them low enough to not be heard.

"Moonshadow elf, this is bad. Everyone stay here and don't make a sound."

That doesn't make any sense, the elves haven't actually attacked any of the kingdoms, but she supposes Soren probably doesn't know that like she does. After all, she's the one who's been secretly talking with one when she shouldn't have been. The grumbling gets closer, and her heart pulls sharply at the far too familiar lilted voice as it breaks through the trees clearer than before.

Claudia feels Soren try and grab for her as she moves up and out of her hiding spot, her belt just barely slipping from his grasp as she pulls away from his attempt to stop her.

"What are you _doing_?" His whispered shout is louder than he intends it to be, and the distant voice of the elf cuts off abruptly, signalling he's been heard.

Peering out from the tree she's tucked against, Claudia can spot twin blades being brandished by the figure amongst the trees - a pair of very unique blades she's only ever seen one person using. She can't hold the surprised noise from escaping, stepping out from her hiding place just as Rayla whirls around to focus on her, swords drawn and ready for an assault.

Their eyes meet, with no enchantment between them for the first time since they met. Rayla has completely frozen in place, the fight in her shoulders gone.

"Claudia?"

"Rayla?"

Seeing Rayla standing there, right in front of her, when she had thought she wouldn't see her or talk to her again for a long time proves too much after her life had turned upside down mere hours ago. Tears flirt with the edges of her vision, and when she moves to throw her arms around Rayla, the elf only barely has enough time to move her blades out of the way. The weapons drop with a thunk to the ground, strong arms wrapping around her waist and holding her while she cries into bright, white hair.

Rayla looks teary herself when Claudia pulls back to look at her, apologies rushing from her not quite reaching Claudia's ears.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Claudia. For everything I said, I know you wouldn't do anything like that. I don't even know why I said what I said, and then you just disappeared and I started to worry something might have happened..."

Rayla trails off when Claudia doesn't answer, just looking at her and taking in everything. Claudia realises she probably looks a bit of a mess, especially this close, with wet eyes and red-faced from getting upset, but Rayla doesn't seem to mind.

"What happened?"

"My dad... He... You were right, he attacked the other kingdoms. They're about to declare war." Then lower, so Soren can't hear, she adds. "He tried to attack me too."

Rayla is really here, in Katolis, with Claudia still holding onto her. The absurdity of it all is just the perfect topping for the day she's had.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be. I'm really happy to see you, and I forgive you." A bright smile lights up Rayla's face at the words, melting away the nerves she'd still been carrying about seeing Claudia again. "But unfortunately, we've had to run from the castle, there's no one there who can help."

Just as Rayla raises an eyebrow to enquire about the "we" part of her statement, it appears that the boys have gotten tired of waiting to see what's going on, moving out from behind the trees behind Claudia so Rayla can see them.

"Rayla!" Ezran comes running over to the two of them, short arms doing their best to wrap around them both in a hug. "I was hoping you'd find us!"

Soren and Callum follow after him, Callum greeting Rayla with a friendly wave. Soren stands with his sword still in his hand, not sure what's going on and less willing to let his guard down.

_Wait... How does Ezran know about Rayla?_

"Ezran, you knew about this? How?"

He starts to squirm, and it only makes Claudia more suspicious.

"Um... sometimes your little animal friends talk to me, I might have known you two were talking to each other. But it's okay! I never told anyone."

Questions are thrown left and right at the revelation, both Callum and Soren clearly at least a bit insulted at not being privy to such a scandal. It all was drowned out by the thoughts running over Claudia's mind, scrambling around and destroying other processes, as what Ezran has just admitted sinks in.

_Ezran can hear them too? Oh my God, I do so many stupid things in front of my familiars, I talk to them all the time! What else have they told him? How long has he been able to do that? Oh my GOD-_

"Um, Clauds? You're turning red."

"You all need to mind your business."

She knows her face is flushed, can feel it herself without Soren needing to draw attention to it. Clearing her throat, she turns to see Rayla finally reclaiming her swords from where she'd dropped them, clicking them into place on her belt and then glancing between them all.

"Okay, so what now?"

"Well we've already set up camp for the night, and we should really get some sleep. Also, who are you and what's going on?"

Oh, right. Soren wasn't there at the gala when Rayla helped them with the shadow assassins, and has just watched his sister run towards what he believes to be a dangerous enemy and hug her. Callum is the one who steps forward to answer the question.

"This is Rayla. Don't you remember pestering me to go ask her to dance at the gala?"

Soren looks at Rayla for a long moment, squinting, before snapping his fingers loudly in a way that echoes through the trees and sets everyone's nerves alight.

"Oh! Yea, I remember now. So, you're all friends then?"

"Yea, she's a friend." Claudia bumps her shoulder against Rayla's as she speaks, drawing another small smile from the other girl.

Satisfied with that answer, Soren sheathes his sword and moves into a long stretch with a yawn. His armour clanks slightly with his movements.

"Okay then, well let's stop just standing here and get some sleep. Long journey ahead." Alongside his words, he begins to gently nudge a yawning Ezran back towards their camp, Bait already asleep in his arms. The boys make their way back to camp, Claudia and Rayla trailing along behind them and talking quietly.

"Did you really come all this way just to check on me?"

Unable to keep the happiness out of her voice, Claudia opts to lean into it instead, teasing at her friend from under batted eyes. When she turns to face Claudia, the sight makes Rayla laugh and she pushes Claudia a little.

"Yea, I did. I knew you were going to find yourself some trouble."

Claudia turns and heads back behind the tree she'd appeared from, and Rayla follows her expecting to see the camp they had mentioned, but both it and the boys are nowhere to be seen. Her questioning glance is met with a wink, Claudia holding out a hand towards her.

"You'll need to enter with me, or you won't see it."

Taking the offered hand, their palms fit together and Rayla realises this might be the first time she's ever held someone's hand that didn't belong to one of her family. Claudia's hand is soft in hers, large and warm and wraps around her own like they've done this a million times. The girl in question tugs on their joined hands, pulling Rayla a few more steps into the trees.

The sight around her begins to shimmer and flicker, magic floating around her head and falling softly to the ground as their campsite comes alive - sleeping bags, supplies, there's even some horses tied up just off to the side of the fire they've managed to set up. Ezran has already settled down for the night, Bait curled up on his chest. The illusion was very impressive to be able to cover so much, even the smoke from the fire could not be seen from outside of the boundary surrounding the site.

Rayla has to push away the question of what Claudia must have used to cast it. They'd mostly avoided the topic of Claudia's magic, but it would be a lot harder to do so now that she was standing under it, literally.

_Now's not the time, focus Rayla._

It's only when Callum glances down towards their still-joined hands that Rayla realises she's not let go, dropping Claudia's hand and then regretting doing so almost instantly with the loss. Claudia doesn't say anything about Rayla holding on to her hand for what must have been an oddly long time, moving over to start getting ready after checking on Ezran and Bait.

"So. How long have you guys been talking? Also, how were you talking? It's not exactly easy to just send a message to Xadia without being caught."

It seems Callum isn't as ready for sleep as his brother is, sitting curiously up in his sleeping bag with his sketchbook in his lap and directing questions to both Rayla and Claudia's turned back. Something that looks suspiciously like a primal stone lies forgotten by his side. Soren is stripping some of his armour, but fails at pretending to not be listening to what's being asked.

"A few months. As for the _how_ , Claudia sent some of her familiars to find me."

Rayla moves to sit by the fire, across from Callum. For a prince, he looks surprisingly comfortable camping in the woods.

"Okay, but like, why?"

That's a good question, why _did_ Claudia go to all that effort to talk to her? She could be offended at his somewhat insulting question, but there's an opportunity here. Turning to where Claudia is now sitting, working off her boots, Rayla is once again struck by how strange it is for her to actually be here in the human kingdoms, with the girl she'd only spoken to through an enchantment swearing at her laces behind her.

"Well, Claudia? You heard him, why _did_ you want to talk to me so badly?"

Claudia's head whips up at her question, and Rayla is less sure now that she had heard Callum's original question. But, never one to let a chance to tease pass her by, Claudia's answer comes with a smirk and a raised brow.

"Maybe I just thought you were cute. Don't think too much into it."

With one last tug, the boot she'd been fighting with comes off and she goes back to getting ready for bed. Rayla can feel the heat from the fire by her side starting to lap at the flush on her face at being called cute by Claudia so flippantly. She catches Callum and Soren making a face at each other when she turns back around to face the fire, pretty sure it has something to do with what Claudia has just said.

Out loud. In front of everyone.

_She could at least wait until we don't have an audience before saying embarrassing things..._

Wanting to change the topic, Rayla clears her throat and asks Callum some questions of her own. It'll give her something else to think about, other than hearing Claudia calling her cute over and over again in her mind.

"You look pretty at home out here in the woods, Callum. Your princely duties bring you out the castle much?"

"Not really, I just like nature. Plenty of things to draw, you know? Harrow used to take us camping sometimes, but it's been a few years since last time."

His voice breaks a little at the mention of the king, knowing that they'll never get to have another one of those trips again.

"I'm sorry, about what happened to him."

"It's not your fault, Claudia told us about... what happened. But thanks, it's nice to see you again."

Knowing Callum didn't blame her people for the attack on the king didn't make it hurt any less, as it meant he knew who was responsible. Maybe he'd have rathered it had been Xadia who were responsible, they might not have been hiding in the trees if it had been.

Callum looks up surprised when she moves around to sit by his side, lifting the primal stone into her hands as she does. It hums in her hands with magic, a storm warring inside the sleek container.

"Is this yours?"

"Yea. It was Claudia's, but she gave it to me."

"I didn't know you were a mage?"

"Um, I kind of only started today? I had never tried it before today, but then I did and it worked!" He taps the primal stone with his pencil. "And now I have this to learn with, a prima-ball."

"Primal stone."

"Right, primal stone. I knew that." Callum looks back up from his sketchbook after a moment to look at her with wide eyes. "Hey, aren't you magical? Like the primal stone?"

"Yea, I suppose that's close enough." Rayla taps the stone with a finger. "This is  
Sky magic, I'm connected to the Moon."

"Are they different?"

"Has Claudia not taught you at least the basics?"

Claudia isn't far enough away she can't hear them, calling out affronted at the insinuation she's a bad teacher.

"Hey! We've been busy, I'll get around to it. Jeez."

Even Soren joins in laughing at how pouty she sounds. Rayla motions for Callum to swap with her, the primal stone for his sketchbook, drawing out rough versions of each of the primal sources and explaining each one. Callum studies the sketches, turning to show them to rest of the group.

"Hey, I've seen these before! They're on a cube in the Banther Lodge."

"Um, that's great. What's the Banther Lodge?"

"It's our family's winter home. I've seen these symbols on that cube in the game room, it must be important."

"So it's a toy?"

"No, if it has these symbols on it, it must be important. We should go get it, we're not far from the lodge."

Soren, who had continued listening in, butts into the conversation.

"Callum, the lodge is the first place they'd look for us. We're not going there."

"It's the first place _you'd_ look."

"Zip it, Claudia. It's the first place anyone would look, not just me. It's too risky, we don't know what that cube even does."

Callum sulks for a moment at being shot down, before an idea strikes him and he changes his approach to the debate.

"Well we will never know what it does if we don't go get it. It could be helpful! You said yourself we've got a long journey ahead, we could use any advantage we can get."

"Don't use your war room training on me." Soren stands with a cocked brow, arms crossed. It doesn't last very long, a proud look appearing on his face. "Though, it might not be the worst idea. If we're quick in the morning, we could be in and out before any search begins."

"Wait, hold on. That's fine for all of you, but I don't fancy wandering into a lodge full of elf-hating humans."

"It is the _winter_ lodge, Rayla, and it's summer just now. No winter, no humans." Callum punctuates his words with his hands.

It's not reassuring, but he's looking at her with a look not unlike the one she weaponises against Runaaan when she really wants to do something he's refusing. She tries to hold strong, and fails.

"Ugh, fine! We'll go get your magic cube, but we have to be quick. In and out, like Soren said. And no more distractions after this."

"No more distractions." Callum agrees, happy to be getting his way.

"Right, everyone get to sleep. We're up early."

Soren has shed most of his armour, lined up neatly by the side of his sleeping bag. Callum and Claudia both begin to settle down, and Rayla lays down close to the fire.

"Rayla, don't you have a sleeping bag?"

Looking to her side, Rayla can see Claudia sitting up on her elbow to look over at her.

"Moonshadow elves pack light. It's better to be able to move quick if you're attacked."

Claudia doesn't look convinced, scanning over her, dark hair framing her face.

"You can sleep in with me if you want."

A very tempting offer, but the thought of actually sleeping right up against Claudia is a lot for one night. Plus, the mage has that twinkle in her eye that means she knows she's flustering Rayla. It's a blessing that it's dark out right now.

"I'll be okay. Thank you, though."

Claudia continues to hold her gaze, eventually laying down properly when Rayla doesn't move. Callum wishes everyone goodnight, and they all join in, falling asleep slowly as the fire dies down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> Rayla doesn't appear to really pack much at all while travelling in the show, so I've took that to be a trait of the Moonshadow elves. It would make sense for a team of quick-moving assassins to pack light, and be able to move at short notice. 
> 
> I'll also be portraying Soren as being more smart and competent than he is in the show, as he is stated to be a prodigy and the youngest Crownguard so he should get to show that more, and the few times he used his brain for good he was actually really successful. He'll still be goofy Soren, but better at his job. 
> 
> As always, please kudos and comment below!


	14. Don't Let The Blood Bugs Bite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on for the next section of chapters, the story is mostly going to follow the path of the gang's journey to Xadia with some differences added in - the new dynamic of the team that's travelling, Claudia and Rayla's relationship, slightly different world, etc. Unfortunately, I had to omit the bit about Ellis and the town. I couldn't figure out a way to make them relevant in my version of the story, without the need for the 'miracle healer'. 
> 
> In any of my stories, assume Rayla is a bit more muscley than she is in the show. Like, she's a highly trained assassin, she would have muscles! Why are shows so afraid to give women the muscles they would have from all their action scenes, it's so sad T.T And fortunately for all of you, it's a hill I'm willing to die on. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Also, I fucking hate writing dialog. It's so boring. And I've not proofread this yet, I'll do it tomorrow or something. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The sun still sits below the horizon when Viren strides into the throne room, sweeping his gaze across the guards lined up waiting for their orders. High Council Adviser Saleer stands at the front of them, and he nods his acknowledgement as Viren takes his place by the throne.

A summons had been issued throughout the castle, specifying the names that were due to report for new orders direct from the Crown. The dozen guards waiting share their hesitations, glancing back and forth between one another before Viren addresses them.

"Thank you all for your swift attendance today. Firstly, I wish reassure you there is no cause for concern, you are not being punished. I have personally selected you for a mission that is very important to me, because you have all proven to be trustworthy individuals."

Glances continue to be shared amongst the guards, even if the tension present has been successfully decreased. Viren pauses for their attention to return to him before continuing.

"What I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance to the kingdom, and you are strictly forbidden from discussing it with anyone not present in this room. That said, there is no cause for alarm I assure you.

I'm embarrassed to say... but this is in fact a personal matter. My children, Soren and Claudia, have disobeyed my direct orders and left the castle with the princes. Normally, this would not be the issue it is, but we are on the cusp of war. We can not risk anything happening to the princes, nor can we risk causing a panic amongst the people. As such, their return to the castle is required immediately, for the safety of the princes and the kingdom.

I will require you to search out the princes and my children, and return them to me. Considering their disobedience, be prepared for some potential resistance from either Soren or Claudia. I do not understand why they would disrespect all of us in such a way, but you are permitted to use force if necessary. Whatever it takes, but bring all of them back here. I will deal with their insubordination myself once they are within the safety of these walls."

Pausing for a moment, Viren allows for any questions to be voiced. They do not come, and he taps his staff against the ground in finality.

"I appreciate your discretion with this matter, and wish for your swift return. Saleer will debrief you on the locations we suspect they may have travelled to. You are dismissed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The sun isn't even up yet, Rayla. Do you need to be in such a rush?"

"That's what 'early' is, Callum. You're the one who wants to go get that magic toy."

"Magic artefact."

"Toy."

"Would you both please stop arguing, Bait is cranky enough already."

Ezran's hair is sticking to his face slightly, it's clear he's speaking for both Bait and himself - the glow toad does indeed look cranky cuddled in his arms, but so does the boy holding him.

Soren was already awake by the time Rayla stirred, the sounds of his armour being clicked back into place enough to break into her subconscious and wake her. The rest of the group were not such easy risers, having to be shook several times before reluctantly starting to dress and help pack up the camp. In the time it takes Claudia to get up and dressed, Soren has finished packing his own supplies and moved onto hers, storing them on the horses with a spring in his step.

Literally. He's doing squats and lunges as he moves across the camp, along with sound effects that are not entirely necessary. Watching Callum's slow pace at packing his and Ezran's things, Rayla moves over to help him.

"How is he so awake this early?"

Rayla had thought her question was quiet enough, but a blond head appears between her and Callum as they kneel on the ground, startling them both.

"Nothing better than a morning in nature!" Soren straightens back up out of their space, hands on his hips as he takes a dramatic breath of the air. "All that fresh air, makes you want to run for miles doesn't it?"

Callum doesn't answer him, rolling his eyes as he turns back to trying to roll up his sleeping bag so it will fit in the straps tight enough to not come loose. An article of clothing comes flying from across the camp and smacks Soren on the side of the head, drawing his attention to where Claudia is holding another balled up item threateningly in her hand.

"Will you give it up? One more good word about exercising this early, and I'm going to put bugs in your food."

"Exercise _is_ good for you. In fact, it might be the best thing there is!"

"Exercise is the worst! Just because you like punishing yourself doesn't mean the rest of us have to."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Rayla doesn't mind some exercise."

Soren had turned fully to face Claudia during their bickering, so she can only see his back and not his face. Claudia flushes at his words and throws the fabric in her hand at his head with a squeal, and Rayla is certain she's missed something in the conversation between the siblings. Soren just catches the socks out of the air, turning smoothly to face Rayla with a grin on his face.

"You're a soldier, right? Come on, take my side and tell her exercise is good for you."

The grin on his face only helps to confirm that he's up to something else with the line of questioning, and she's hesitant to play into whatever it is. But the more appealing option of getting to assist with tormenting Claudia is just a little too tempting.

"Close enough to a soldier, I guess. And yea, you should probably exercise if you don't already, Claudia."

He whips his head back round to Claudia, the edge of a smug look on his face causing his sister to glower darkly at him.

"Right, I think I've got the last of it strapped down on the horse."

Callum cuts in deliberately - to both stop the bickering and end the discussion of exercise, most likely. It works, and Soren wanders over to double check nothing is going to fall off the horse shared by the princes during their travels. Claudia dissolves the protection around the camp, climbing up onto her horse and pulling it alongside Rayla.

"Did you travel the whole way here on foot?"

Claudia looks very at ease up on the saddle, like she regularly spends time travelling through the kingdom - Rayla could almost be fooled by the image, if it weren't for the fact she'd just witnessed Soren do virtually all her packing for her.

"Nah, just the last day or so. I figured it would be easier to get to the castle on my own."

"Okay, then you can ride with me."

Once again, a hand is extended towards her and again, she accepts it. With an unexpected amount of strength, Claudia helps pull her up onto the horse. Having never actually ridden on one before, it takes a bit of adjusting for Rayla to position herself comfortably behind Claudia.

_Oh. There's a lot less space up here than I thought._

"You need to hold onto me or you'll fall off."

Rayla does as she's asked, wrapping her arms loosely around Claudia's waist. The horse is nudged into moving sharply, and she has to grab on a lot tighter as the motion nearly throws her backwards into the mud. Pressed flush against Claudia's back now, she can hear and feel the other girl giggling.

"You did that on purpose."

"Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riding with Rayla pressed up against her proves more distracting than Claudia had anticipated. Callum had been right, they weren't far from the lodge - maybe an hour by horse, if that. But with strong arms wrapped around her waist, and Rayla bouncing slightly against her back with the canter of the horse... She's enjoying herself more than may be entirely appropriate.

Soren leads them around to the rear of the lodge, where Callum immediately dismounts and begins to head towards the front door before having his collar grabbed by Rayla. He looks annoyed when he pulls out of her grip, fixing his clothes with a frown.

"Don't just go wandering out into the open. Wait here, I'll go and check for anyone nearby."

Rayla climbs up the side of the building using the stones, flipping up onto the roof and disappearing from view.

"She's really fast, huh?"

Ezran has climbed down off his horse and is now standing next to Callum. They're all gazing up in the direction she went, so don't notice her reappear a minute later at the front of the lodge until she calls out for their attention. She's back up on the roof when they round the building.

"I don't see anyone. The door is locked, so I'm going to open it from inside."

One of the windows on the front of the lodge is open, Rayla vanishing through the gap to let them inside. Ezran jogs ahead to the front door, reaching it just as it's pulled open to reveal Rayla. She gestures them all in with a flourish and a bow, directing her next words to Callum once the door is shut back over.

"Go find the cube, the less time here the better."

He's already halfway up the stairs by the time she's finished talking, eagerness showing at getting to sate his curiosity. A crash echoes from the second floor, and when he emerges back on the staircase he looks flustered but lifts the cube up in the air like a trophy.

"A true master of stealth." Soren's comment is dripping in sarcasm, and he smirks when the rest of the group laugh. He turns to Rayla just as Callum reaches them again by the door. "You know he once tried to come on patrol in full decorative armour? He looked very pretty, at least."

"I remember. You knocked me off my horse into the mud." Callum shoots Soren a dark look from under his brows, tucking the cube into his bag.

"It was for your own good."

"My ass was bruised for weeks! How is that 'for my own good'?"

Ezran has broken off from the rest of them, peering out of the gap left between the doors by Rayla. Claudia wanders over to where he is, placing a hand on his shoulder as he continues to stare out across the field.

"You okay there, Ez?"

His attention doesn't move to her right away, focus still somewhere beyond the trees, head turned slightly as if listening to something in the distance.

"I think I hear horses, I think someone is coming."

From where she stands, Claudia has a view across the clearing in front of the lodge through the same gap Ezran is looking through. Amongst the trees, the tell-tale glint of armour can just be seen - the only warning before the first horse breaks the line of the trees, heading for the bridge to the lodge.

"Um, guys?"

Soren's rough gauntlet-covered hands grip both Ezran and Claudia, dragging them sharply away from the gap in the doors and kicking it further closed with his boot. He takes their place, gazing out the slim gap before looking back at the rest of the group with an expression akin to a weary father.

"Would you look at that, who would have thought that the first place a search party would look would be here? Hmm... Oh wait, it was me!"

"You can be a bitch about it later, Soren." Callum is not going to admit fault, and certainly not to Soren - even if they're all kind of thinking it.

"Do we even know that they're looking for us?"

Ezran has Bait gripped tightly in his arms, glancing worriedly between the rest of the group and the door. It probably says something about their group that a ten year-old is the voice of reason, but it's an issue for another time.

"We can't risk it, there's at least a dozen of them."

The soldiers are crossing the bridge now, the one at the head of the group is gesturing orders to the rest of his team as they approach.

"There's no way out of the lodge without them seeing us."

Time is ticking down fast for a decision to be made. They won't be able to sneak out the front, and there's no guarantee they can all make it out another way before they're surrounded. During the conversation, Callum has swapped out the cube for his primal stone, the primal energy within sparking and drawing Claudia's attention.

And with it, an idea forms.

"Guess we're just going to have to make a run for it then."

"What--"

The imminent objection falls on deaf ears, as she's already raised her arms to the air and spoke an incantation. The rising sun dulls like the curtains have been drawn, the sky reaching down to touch the ground and covering the area surrounding the lodge in a thick fog. In seconds, the view of the approaching soldiers is swallowed, alongside everything else outside the thick windows.

"...I suppose that works."

Soren braces himself by the door, ready to usher everyone past and around to where their horses have been left. Rayla watches as Claudia takes Ezran's hand, keeping him close to her side as they prepare to run. A scan over her person fails to reveal anything that could be used to cast such a spell - Claudia hadn't even bothered to bring her pack from where it had been strapped to her horse.

_Why do I never see her using anything for her spells? She's not exactly subtle in anything else..._

At Soren's signal, they file out from the lodge, making sure to stay close to the side of the building and as far away from the soldiers as they do so. Shouts and hooves can be heard through the fog, the search team trying to locate one another without visuals thanks to Claudia's - brash and effective - actions.

"Soren! Wait!"

A figure appears through the fog, not on a horse but on foot, hands raised as he rushes towards them. Moving away from Claudia's extended hand to help her onto their mount, Rayla draws one of her blades and positions herself between the newcomer and the group, blade pointed at the soldier's throat.

"Don't come any closer."

The soft plodding of hooves behind her alerts Rayla to movement, Soren pulling his horse up between them both and leaning down to gesture her weapon away.

"It's okay, he's a friend."

The soldier looks sweaty, hands still held up by his head until Rayla lowers her blade. A hand presses against her shoulder, Claudia appearing by her side to whisper in her ear as the soldier takes off his helmet.

"This is Marcos, he's a friend of Soren's. We can trust him."

Marcos is still regarding Rayla warily, glancing between her and Claudia with a queer look. The sight of them travelling with an elf must be a shock, and it's clear he doesn't know what to think. Claudia runs her hand down Rayla's arm, gripping her wrist and coaxing her to put the sword away fully before speaking to Marcos.

"Marcos, this is Rayla. She's a friend of ours we met at the gala, and she came to help us."

It takes a second, but a smile breaks out across Marcos' handsome face and he extends a hand to Rayla in greeting, before stepping back to address all of them, satisfied that there's nothing underhanded going on.

"Pardon my scaring you all, but I recognised the fog as being unnatural and knew I had to be fast to catch you. Lord Viren has ordered a team to search you out and return you all to the castle. He claims it is because you disobeyed him. Normally, I wouldn't have any reason to disbelieve him but... there are rumours in the castle, that the destruction in the west wing was because of you, Claudia?"

"That's true. My father tried to attack me before we fled the castle."

Rayla can actually see the wheels in Marcos' mind turning as he absorbs what Claudia has just confirmed to him.

"I suspected as much. He authorised us to use force against you if you would not cooperate, I thought that was strange." Marcos pulls his helmet back on, half turning to leave as the shouts from the other soldiers grow closer. "It is better if I do not know all the details. I will lead the search towards Del Bar in the west, and do what I can to give you space. Your mother was from Del Bar, correct? It should not be difficult to have them believe that you have headed in that direction."

Claudia breaks away from Rayla's side, pulling Marcos into a hug before he leaves.

"Thank you so much! Be careful, whatever you do. My father is dangerous, and he's not to be trusted."

"I will. Be safe, and I will see you all again."

Marcos salutes them, running back off into the fog and calling out to his fellow soldiers. Thundering hooves stampede in the direction he went after a few minutes, leading the soldiers away as he said he would and allowing the group to sneak their way back out of the fog and away from the lodge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Callum, you're the one with the map! Are we going in the right direction or not?"

Ezran has the reigns for their horse, Callum's sketchbook laid out against his back while his brother tries to establish where they are.

"Hey, I'm trying! I've never actually had to use a map before."

Soren pulls his horse to a stop abruptly at the head of the group, nudging it to turn around so he can face Callum. The horrified expression on his face forces a laugh from Rayla, and she tucks her head against Claudia before he can see her laughing.

"You've never used a map? Seriously? You're a prince! You should know how to read a map!"

"Ezran's a prince and you don't shout at him all the time!"

"Ezran is ten! You're the one who tries to act like an adult all the time."

It's becoming increasingly apparent that none of the humans she's travelling with have much sense. The area they're in is familiar - if Rayla was to climb up for a higher view, she's confident she'd be able to direct them all better.

Couldn't be worse than Mr Never-Used-A-Map, anyways.

"Can I see that for a moment?"

Callum glances between her hand and his sketchbook a couple times, hesitantly handing it over and making sure to keep it open on the same page. Rayla notes his odd behaviour, but doesn't comment.

The sketchbook is bulky, and she's turned off awkwardly to the side as she skims over the map, her legs straining a little from where they are still around Claudia. Shuffling forward as much as she can, Claudia turns to watch Rayla, a question on her face if not her tongue as her riding partner mumbles under her breath.

"I'm sure it was around here somewhere..."

An odd label on the map catches her attention, the name not one she's familiar with from across the border. Pressing a finger to the mark on the map, she shows it to Claudia.

"What's the Cursed Caldera?"

"It's this creepy mountain that's supposed to be haunted."

A laugh. "Haunted?"

"Yea, there's supposed to be monsters, scary voices, and people have gone insane trying to climb it." Claudia tilts her head cutely as she answers, curious nature on full display as she regards Rayla.

"Well, I can assure you it's not haunted."

"What do you mean?"

"I could tell you, but I think you'd want to see it for yourself. We should head there, I know someone who might be able to send a message ahead for us."

Callum sputters somewhere off the side, voice high as he slots himself into the conversation.

"You _want_ to go to the Cursed Caldera? You do know what 'cursed' means, right? That's a word they have in Xadia?"

"I _know_ what cursed means, and we don't call it that. It's the Moon Nexus, and it's probably one of the safer places for us in the kingdom right now since no one will come looking for you guys there."

"Sounds fancy." Soren sits up on his horse with his hands on his hips as he listens. It looks ridiculous.

"You have no idea. Was kinda expecting you to fight me on this one?"

Soren holds his pose for another few seconds before shrugging, taking up the reins again.

"Today has been a disaster. Why not end how we began." With that, he turns and leads his horse in the direction Rayla had pointed out.

"Very inspiring." Callum scowls at Soren's back, accepting his sketchbook back from Rayla and following after their unofficial leader.

Claudia guides their horse into following after them, and Rayla settles back against her for the next step of the journey. Becoming comfortable cuddled so close to Claudia took significantly less time than she had expected. Even if her hair did keep getting in Rayla's face.

_It's worth it._

_Wait, what?_

"So... the Moon Nexus? I thought that was a myth?" Claudia's question is quiet, for Rayla's ears only.

"You've heard of it?"

"Mhmm. There's some mentions of it in books I've read, but as far as I know no one ever found it."

That's a surprise, the human kingdoms shouldn't have held any information about the Nexus. It's a highly guarded secret after all. So, how would Claudia have heard about it?

"Humanity wasn't meant to know about it, in case it somehow got used against us. I'm surprised you've even heard of it."

"I'm not like most humans."

The motion of her shoulders shrugging causes Rayla to shift slightly, Claudia's focus returning to the path in front of them.

_You can say that again._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayla had to point them in the right direction a couple times, but eventually they draw near to the base of the mountain. The irony of her having to guide the humans in their own kingdom is not lost on her, but she pockets that for future use. They had taken care to avoid the town at the bottom, not wanting to chance running into anyone who might recognise them.

The Caldera looms high above them, unnaturally dark despite the relatively early hour of the day. Rayla encourages Claudia to move them into the lead, and the chill in the air clings to their clothes after only a few paces up the path. Callum hesitates at the bottom of the path, he and Ezran sporting matching uncertain expressions.

"Uhhh are we sure about this? Doesn't look particularly inviting to me."

"Quit being a wuss, it's fine. Come on."

Callum's horse makes it a few metres up the path before it is spooked by something, rearing up and trying to kick the boys off. After some squealing, Ezran manages to soothe it with his arms cuddled around the animal's neck, talking to it. After it calms enough that she isn't too worried about taking a hoof to the face, Rayla climbs down and makes her way over to it. It allows her to get close enough to stroke its neck, and she quickly writes a small rune in the air right in front of its eyes.

"Caecus mollis."

The rune breaks apart, floating delicately over the horse's eyes and settling lightly over them and giving them an eery glow. It works, and the horse drops the rest of its attitude, sniffing against her hand in the air almost like it wants to thank her. Callum is peering around Ezran to watch Rayla when she glances up at him, straining up out of the saddle.

"Ooh, was that Moon magic?"

"Hah, yea. It'll settle him so he won't try to run; a lot of mounts don't like coming through here so it's good knowing that spell."

Claudia is watching her when she approaches the horse she's on, doing the spell for both Claudia and Soren's rides before taking place on foot at the front to keep leading them further in.

"I didn't know that you're a mage, Rayla?"

The words actually make her cringe a little, and she shakes it off with a laugh.

"I'm not, I only know a few spells. The ones I need to know. Magic has never been my thing." She starts back up the path again, the rest of the group guiding their horses into following her. "You'll need to be a bit more careful guiding them now, they can't see what's actually in front of them and might bump into things."

For the most part, Claudia and Soren seem to be coping well with not letting the illusions affect them on the way up the mountain - Claudia did have to be stopped from attempting to follow _something_ off the beaten path, admittedly. But it had been a minor distraction, at best. Callum and Ezran were somewhat more amusing, Ezran insisting he was seeing faces in the shadows and Callum brandishing his primal stone at every noise. The fact they trusted her enough to follow her up here was sweet, making her steps lighter as they slowly made their way.

It was a real shame she was about to ruin it.

Off to the side, low chittering noises could be heard following them from beyond their sight, tucked behind the trees. Chittering she recognises, and that no one else seems so have noticed yet. She deliberately begins to stray further off to the side of the path they're on towards the sounds, trying not to give away what she's planning.

When the illusion breaks the line of foliage to her right, the spider turns its focus to her immediately, rearing up and charging at her with a shriek. The large body quickly blocks her from the group, and she feigns a scream as if it has bitten her, collapsing to the ground. By the time she hears the others call-out for her and rush to approach, it's already too difficult to hold her laughter in fully.

They all look startlingly pale when she sits up, still laughing at their expressions as they freeze in their attempts to help her. The prank proves to be divisive, splitting the group down the middle evenly - Callum and Soren are definitely more annoyed than amused, with Soren already walking away back to his horse with a roll of his eyes. Ezran giggles a little, walking around where Rayla is sitting to scrutinise the illusion circling around her. Claudia is the only one who appreciates it, helping Rayla onto her feet as she wipes a tear of laughter from her eye.

"That was an awful prank, though I wouldn't blame the spider wanting to eat you."

The innuendo-laden words are offset by the fake finger pincers Claudia has in front of her face, currently 'clicking' at Rayla. It's enough to stem the flush she might have had on her face otherwise.

"Awful? So you didn't like it?"

"I never said that." Claudia winks in time with her last 'pincer', dropping her hands from in front of her face with a giggle.

Rayla doesn't realise they're just standing smiling at each other until Ezran jostles past them to join Callum back on their horse, prompting Claudia to return to her own.

"So, you're friends with the spider?" Ezran is hanging off the horse slightly in Rayla's direction, blue eyes full of intrigue.

"Not exactly, it's not real." Rayla swipes a hand through the illusion's body, causing it to flicker and shriek but not attack. "It's an illusion, like the one I used on the horses."

"I thought it sounded funny! Spiders don't talk like that."

"What? Ezran, we've been over this." Callum had mostly just been listening to them talk, his brows now furrowing at Ezran's statement.

"I told you sometimes animals talk to me, like Claudia's black ones. Or Bait!" Ezran lifts Bait up from his lap and cuddles him, the glow frog grumbling but accepting the affection.

"Claudia's animals aren't real, Ez."

"Sure they are!" Claudia chimes in, trailing along at the back of the group.

"You're not helping." Callum turns back to Ezran, sighing before continuing. "Remember that time with the racoons?"

"That wasn't my fault! The racoons were being mischievous, I have since learned you cannot trust racoons."

"What's a racoon?"

The question draws all of their attentions to her, and Rayla has to fight the urge to squirm. Callum freezes with his mouth half open, his answer dying in his throat as he frantically gestures up the path where Rayla's turned back now faces. Following his signal, she turns to see yet another illusion slithering its way down the path towards them.

"Huh, that one is new."

The creature is moving towards them fast, long body winding around the path. Unlike the spider, she's never encountered this one before. Callum's horse rears up again, prompting him and Ezran to try and calm it to stop them being thrown off.

"Uhh, I don't think that one's an illusion."

"Oh don't be daft, I've been up here plenty of times. It's actually quite safe."

Not sooner after she finishes speaking does the leech lunge for her, sent scurrying at the last second by a spell from Claudia that sizzles past her ear and knocks the creature back. The spell does little more than stun it for a second, giving Rayla enough to time to scramble away from it and back towards their group. They prepare for a fight, Soren dismounts to join Rayla on the ground while Claudia stays up on her horse by Ezran and Callum's to keep the thing away from them. A last line of defence, should the swords fail.

"Oh _sure_ , it's perfectly safe up here. No monsters trying to kill us to be found." Soren is by her side, sword drawn and braced for it to attack again.

"Okay, so I was wrong! Monster first, sass later!"

The creature is fast, faster than Rayla and significantly faster than Soren, weighed down by his full armour. Fortunately though, he's also heavy enough to absorb a few direct hits from it, parrying off with his sword and drawing its attention to allow Rayla the chance to hit it. Pushing away the chaos around her temporarily, her limbs grow lighter and stronger as she opens her heart and allows the Moon magic within her to flood out across her body. Now gone from the creature's sight, she attempts to strike hard from its side. Her blades glance off the leech's skin, too thick to pierce and she retreats, looking for another angle.

"Fulminis!"

A bolt of lighting strikes the creature, causing it to spasm and rear up high above her and Soren, exposing its underbelly. It shrieks when Soren sinks his sword into its stomach, and he just barely manages to dodge out of the way as it collapses directly on top of where he had previously been standing. Both fighters catch their breath, the additional strength borrowed from the Moon high above her draining as Rayla looks over to check on the others. Callum sits proudly up on his mount, chest puffed up with pride and Claudia excitedly cheering him on from the side.

The spell had been his handiwork, clearly - with a little bit of help from their resident dark mage.

"Yuck, I got bug goo on my sword."

"Better than the bug having Soren goo on it!" Claudia is far too chipper for the situation they've just survived.

"That's not comforting." Soren scrapes his sword (mostly) clean on a tree, sheathing it and making his way back over to calm his horse.

"Maybe we should keep it down? We don't know how many of these illusions might actually be real."

"Ezran's right, let's get a move on."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The summit comes into view, and not a moment too soon. Their trip up the Caldera had not been nearly as safe as Rayla had claimed it would be, but everyone still has all their blood and limbs. Not a complete failure.

"So, who are we looking for?"

"My aunt. She guards the Nexus, the illusions are her doing."

"You never told me about an aunt?" Claudia is doing that thing again, tilting her head like a confused shadowpaw puppy. It's not distracting at all.

"Yea... she's a bit... You'll see."

Dipping inside the hollowed tree at the summit, the others dismount and follow her inside. They glance around, looking for the magical place she'd described no doubt.

"This isn't it, obviously."

Moving to the back wall, she places her left hand flat against it and traces something on it with the other. Once done, she steps back. The shape of her hand where it was placed on the wall glows the same eery glow as her spell earlier, elven writing appearing around it and flowing out across the wall to form an arch. After a couple seconds the glowing fades, and with it the arch vanishes, revealing a wide passage leading to an ornate room.

Rayla stops them all just before they enter the Nexus properly, turning to them with a very serious expression - the most serious expression Claudia has seen on her in their months of knowing one another.

"Don't eat the food."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> The reason for Viren sending a search after the kids is that he can't afford any loose ends in his plans right now, which Claudia and Soren have become. He's dressed it up with other reasons as he always does, but really he just needs them where he can control them which he can't do if they're not in the castle. 
> 
> I think Claudia is a bit stronger than she seems, physically. The scene that comes to mind is when she's in the doctors with Soren in season 2 and starts ransacking the place for whatever she could use to heal him, and just fucking knocks the entire cabinet over, like?? That thing looked heavy, and she's like 5'9" so not exactly small. And also when she uses the tentacle spell thing to grab ahold of Phoe-Phoe and pull her back. So yea, I don't think she'd actually have much trouble pulling Rayla up onto the horse. But could almost certainly do with some cardio because I really doubt she'd be much one for fitness unless forced 😂
> 
> With Lujanne as Rayla's aunt in this version, I reckon she'd know at least a few basic, "day-to-day" Moon magic spells. We see Runaan crush his moon opal necklace to cast magic at the start of the show, I don't think it would be too far a stretch for Rayla to know a few spells, especially the ones she'd likely have to use - like the one to blind the mounts so they'll actually go up the Caldera and won't bolt from the illusions. 
> 
> As always, kudos and comment if you've enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts :)


	15. A Spider And A Fly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else think moonstriders look like big, magical greyhounds? They don't look robust enough to carry a person on their backs, very odd design choice.
> 
> You guys wanted a chapter, so I hope you're ready for this one! 
> 
> Enjoy! >:)

The Moon Nexus is even more beautiful than Rayla had described it to be, ornate silver-lined decoration adorning the walkways and pools that sprawl across the empty space, and glittering with the light of the Moon high above. The air is quiet and calm, untouched by life yet not in the stifling way common to sacred places such as this one - the sensation that they should not be there is present, but not oppressive. Primal magic fills the area, unlike anything Claudia has ever felt before. It sinks into her clothes, urges her to follow its pull further in. She has never used Moon magic herself, would not have known how it felt.

Until now.

Her head follows a phantom desire, gazing up to the Moon as it watches over them all. This high up, this close to the centre of its power... She can't look away. It has always bothered her how others refer to the Sun when describing something beautiful, brighter than life. There are many more beautiful comparisons that could take that place she thinks, she's looking at one right now.

(Another is standing by her side, watching her the same way she does the night sky.)

"I knew I sensed some little beasties on my mountain."

A new voice finally breaks her trance, quiet and soft and accented. Very unlike Rayla's clipped way of speaking, though the recognisable twang of another Moonshadow elf is comforting in a way that she isn't sure how to process - it had not been long ago that such an accent would have sent her running.

An older elf has appeared off the side, leaning against one of the arched buildings as she scans over their mismatched group. The resemblance between her and Rayla is not apparent, unlike the clear similarities Claudia had spied in Rayla's mother, even from the brief view she had gotten of her. The woman pushes off the building, approaching them all and tipping her head in greeting. She is pursued by a creature that looks like a magical version of a very large dog, as well as a large... bird? It towers over its owner, big enough to ride with flowing frills and feathers that shimmer when the light catches them.

_Is that a Moon phoenix? I thought those were extinct..._

Rayla jogs over to her aunt, who leans down to pull her into a quick hug. They share a few quiet words when they pull away, and Rayla turns to make introductions.

"This is my aunt, Lujanne. She guards this place." Rayla points to each of them, introducing them by name quickly one after another. Claudia would be surprised if Lujanne remembers anything from the rushed information.

Lujanne, to her credit, greets them all back by their names, hesitating once she gets to Ezran and turning curious eyes to her niece.

"Ezran? Is that name more common in the human kingdoms than I would have believed, or have you brought trouble with you?"

Rayla squirms a little under the judging look being focused on her, laughing nervously as she rubs at the base of one of her horns.

"It's a long story. But yes, he's that Ezran."

Lujanne shocks them all by chuckling lightly, not the anger or outrage that they had been expecting. She spins on her heel, gesturing them to follow after her further into the Nexus as the two animals trot after her loyally, calling over her shoulder as she goes.

"You can tell me over some tea. And I hope you've come to take back your pet, she keeps digging up my garden."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lujanne remained quiet the whole time Soren and Claudia were explaining the events leading up to their presence at the Nexus, sipping demurely at her tea and only occasionally sending an amused glance at her niece. It would be a lie to say she hadn't managed to tease Rayla about her and Claudia sneaking around talking to one another, her eyes gleaming accusingly over her cup even if she kept her comments to herself.

Rayla was not such a fool to think she wouldn't have to answer some questions about that, but at least they weren't going to come immediately.

Lujanne sets her cup down with a clink once they finish, leaning on one hand lazily as she muses - mostly to the ceiling, but sometimes to the kids.

"So, your father - _et Hominis Cavae_...?"

Lujanne pauses, looking from Claudia to Rayla at her use of the nickname for the Katolian Archmage, continuing once Rayla nods and confirms it is the same person. The elves had their own names for some of the more... notable humans that tresspass on their lands. Many of them less than flattering. Lord Viren had made a name for himself, literally.

"...He is the one responsible for the attack on Katolis a few months ago, as well as the other human kingdoms?" At their nods, she lists off more points on her fingers. "You also believe he plans to provoke a war between our peoples, and the only person who would have enough backing to stop all this is a human general, your aunt Amaya?"

Callum chimes in. "That's right, Amaya is at the border and doesn't know what's really going on. We had to run from the castle because it's not safe for us anymore."

Lujanne maintains her aloof expression for a long moment, before sighing and dropping her hands to the table and clasping them in front of her. "I do need to ask, I'm afraid... What proof do you have that he is responsible?"

Silence settles on them all at the question, Rayla mostly just glancing between each of the humans. As admirable as their actions are, unfortunately not many will so easily place their beliefs in the hands of some teenagers. Not without some form of evidence.

"Oh, I know!" Claudia leans down into her bag, pulling a journal from within and starting to flick through the pages. "I have the spell to create the figures he used in his attacks, he had this book in his office."

She looks back up, about to show the page in question, but is stopped by the look on Lujanne's face. The mage has frozen in place, attention locked on the journal and a decidedly paler colour than she was a moment ago, as she stares bewildered at the spellbook.

_I completely forgot she doesn't know I'm a mage..._

Before Claudia has the time to start panicking, Lujanne extends a hand towards her, palm facing upwards. "May I see that for a moment?"

Panicking entirely now, Claudia glances at Rayla for help. Just because her aunt is okay with her hanging around with humans doesn't necessarily mean she'll be okay with her bringing what is - technically - a dark mage into such a sacred place. Lujanne cuts in before Rayla reacts, having clearly seen the worry on Claudia's face.

"I already know what you are, dear. You're not exactly the most subtle, and I can sense magic on you." Lujanne chuckles lightly, still holding out her hand but with a hard glint in her eyes. "Please? I wish to confirm something."

Claudia glances again to Rayla, who shrugs and nods her head in her aunt's direction. The reassurances help, and she reluctantly hands the journal over to the older woman. They all watch curiously as she flicks through the pages, skimming through quickly enough to not possibly be reading the words. One page in particular holds her attention for longer than the others, and finally she glances back up to settle her gaze on Claudia.

"Do you know who this belonged to? Originally?"

She doesn't, and Claudia tells her that.

"...It belonged to a very powerful dark mage, who played a large part in the wars between our people many centuries ago." Lujanne lifts the journal, tapping against the cover with a finger. " _This_ was supposed to have been destroyed. It is interesting, that your father would somehow have happened upon it."

Without waiting for a response, Lujanne flips the journal in her hand and presents it in front of Claudia, who takes it back a bit hesitantly.

"Regardless, it is yours now. I will only say this - the mage who wrote many of these spells eventually drove herself to madness. I would suggest that you not follow in her footsteps, hmm?"

Rayla eyes her aunt, attention split between her and Claudia - she's seen Lujanne show an interest in the odd dark magic artefact, but nothing like this.

With a not-entirely-subtle glance to the glowing cube Callum has on the table next to him, Lujanne quirks an eyebrow. "A rather interesting collection of items you're all amassing..."

Immediately, Callum perks up at the reference to the cube. "You know what this is? Can you tell me what it does?"

His excited expression crumbles when she shakes her head, sighing softly as she reaches out to lift the cube. She spins it in her hands a few times before placing it back down on the table.

"Not exactly. Legends call it 'The Key of Aaravos', and it belonged to the banished Archmage... Though, I'm afraid it's exact use has escaped the history records." A mirthful smile lifts the edges of her lips. "It's certainly pretty, but I'm not sure what use there may be for it. I would advise caution, if you ever discover what that may be."

Callum slumps in his seat a bit, staring glumly at the object on the table. Lujanne focuses back on the topic they'd be discussing before the interruptions.

"Fortunately, the journal, combined with your testimonies, should be enough to convince those less intimate with the unusual than I am of foul play. You must first get to the border, however, and I'm assuming you didn't just come through here to introduce your friends to me?"

At the last few words, Rayla perks up upon realising that they are directed towards her. Rayla leans across the table to better see Lujanne, the older elf reclining back in her seat like they haven't just dropped news of impending war at her feet. "I was hoping you'd be able to send a message ahead for us? To the border?"

Lifting a finger to her lip, Lujanne ponders the request for a few seconds. Just as  
Rayla begins to think she's going to decline, Lujanne moves her finger to hang in the air between them, directing her words to Callum and Ezran.

"I'm not sure a magic message will be well received by your aunt if she's as on-guard as I imagine she is right now." Turning to Rayla, her finger moves to point in her direction along with her focus. "Who is in charge of the border on the Xadian side just now?"

Thinking back to one of the many off-hand conversations she'd overheard Runaan having, Rayla tries to remember what he'd last said about the border. She knows the Sunfire elves were overseeing it for the next few months, Runaan had assisted with the trade-off earlier this year. Khessa had had to remain in Lux Aurea after the Queen had passed...

"I think it's Janai. Khessa is queen now, remember?"

At this, Lujanne actually chuckles a little. She waves off their questioning looks, muttering under her breath.

"Not the choice I would have made to guard the breach... That girl has too soft a heart." She glances over to Rayla with the barest hint of a smile. "Though I suppose she's not the only one..."

Standing up swiftly from her seat before her niece can react to her quiet musing, Lujanne places her palms flat on the table and inclines her head slightly to them all.

"I will send a message to Janai, telling her the truth and asking her to assist the human troops. She's not unreasonable; if she knows that humanity are also victims here, she will do the right thing. It also means this the whole debacle of even guarding the border so strictly is somewhat misplaced. It's perhaps fortunate for you all that Khessa is preoccupied with other matters, she would not be so understanding I don't think." Lifting up fully off the table, Lujanne continues with an amused sparkle in her eye aimed at Rayla. "I will also send a message to the Storm Spire. I'm sure your parents have heard about you running off by now, I think Tiadrin will appreciate knowing where you are."

Rayla opens her mouth to complain, and is cut off by Lujanne raising her hand to stop any forthcoming arguments.

"I will give the short version; I don't see much point in making her worry too much if it is not necessary. How does 'visiting some human friends' sound? I think that will give her an appropriate level of stress, you can tell her the full story yourself."

Of course. Rayla isn't surprised to see Lujanne enjoying the thought of tormenting her sister. It's not like it's a difficult thing to accomplish - her mother and Runaan have always been the sternest, and therefore also the easiest to pick on. Satisfied, Rayla nods.

"That would be great. We'll be heading off in the morning."

Whines and grumbles immediately sound at that statement, and Rayla turns to meet the causes - Ezran, Callum and Claudia all looking more put out than they really have any reason to be. Soren looks equally annoyed as she feels, and they share a look with each other.

"What now?" There's more bite to her question than was intended, but honestly she couldn't have reigned it in even if she'd wanted to.

"We only just got here!"

"Yea! And there's so much magic... Can we stay just one day?"

"I haven't even gotten to play with Phoe-Phoe! She wants to go flying with me."

Callum rolls his eyes at Ezran's comment, but continues with the three-way assault on her resolve through their combined pouts.

"We can't keep wasting time. You already had your detour to get the toy."

"Artefact."

She pinches the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply. "I'm not doing this again, Callum."

Since reason doesn't appear to be good enough for them, she decides to take another approach. Smirking, she crosses her arms in front of her and takes a page out of her mother's book of tricks.

"It's not me you should be asking."

_There's no way Lujanne will let them stay here... She's too protective of this place to have them all wandering around._

Her smirk is still in place when they turn to Lujanne instead. She looks over too, just to startle at having her aunt's gaze focused on her.

The smirk falls when her aunt shrugs, a light smile on her face as she holds Rayla's expectant gaze.

"It's okay with me."

Lujanne smiles wider as Rayla's mouth drops open, betrayal written bold across her face. Ignoring the celebration going on next to her, Rayla takes one last page from the Book of Tiadrin.

She mouths her words at her aunt, accompanied by a glare.

_"Traitor."_

Lujanne just winks at her, lifting from the table and wishing them all goodnight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rayla~"

Claudia has just settled down into her sleeping bag. After the... _interesting_ proposition from her the night before, Rayla knows what's coming.

She chuckles but doesn't look over, continuing to pull off her boots.

"Yea?"

"Are you going to sleep on the hard ground again?"

_Are you going to do this every night?_

Regardless, she can't quite keep the amusement out of her voice as she replies.

"It's safer."

"I'll keep you safe, if you want."

_Honestly, does she not hear it?_

"Claudia?"

"Yes?"

_"Goodnight."_

Rayla ignores Claudia's little huff of a laugh, hearing her settle down into the bedroll. She just hears her mumble something - something suspiciously like "next time". Thankfully, it's dark and Claudia can't see her face turning a nice light purple.

"Goodnight."

Across the camp, two sets of eyes roll.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A wet tongue wakes her up, sliding over her cheek and sticking her hair to her face in a way most unpleasant.

But perhaps not as unpleasant as the shriek it rips out of her, sending her up and scrambling away from the slimy assault. Or trying to, anyways. Large paws come down on her as she attempts to flee, pinning her back to the ground. The licking continues, and after a few hazy moments of defending and trying to get her bearings the identity of her assailant registers.

"Get off me! Off! _Off!_ "

The command, along with the shoving against black fur, finally frees her from the moonstrider's affections and she gasps for breath now that a tongue isn't right in her face. Rolling over, the sight of her aunt's boots a few metres away greet her, drawing her attention up to the poor attempt at smothering her laughter behind a hand.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Was that necessary?"

Lujanne engages her best look of faux innocence, hands clasped demurely behind her.

"I didn't do anything."

Rayla just glowers at her, sending a matching one over her shoulder when the other sounds of giggling finally pierce her sleepy brain.

"Yea, yea. Laugh it up."

She scans around the camp, having to hold back visible surprise at seeing Callum already awake and dressed, sitting flicking through his sketchbook. An eyebrow cocks at him without her permission.

"Really, you choose today to get up early? When we've nowhere to be?"

Callum grins at his sketchbook, answering her without looking up.

"Life works in mysterious ways." With a cocked eyebrow of his own, he finally meets her gaze. "And actually, you're the last one up."

And sure enough, Claudia and Ezran are also dressed, standing next to Phoe-Phoe as they shake off the last bits of laughter at her dramatic near-death experience. Soren is doing his morning exercises, sound effects and all.

"Huh."

"Not gonna apologise for your rude comment?"

Finally moving up onto her feet, Rayla lolls her head in Callum's direction at his snarky question.

"I think the entertainment you've just had will do."

He laughs. "Works for me." Snapping the sketchbook shut, he also raises to his feet. He must have been sitting cross-legged like that for a while, as a small wince shows on his face for a second as he moves. "Lujanne is going to take me and Claudia on a tour of the Nexus, you wanna come? Or do you wanna babysit Soren and Ezran?"

Soren's indignant little "hey!" is completely ignored, Rayla scrunching her face up at the thought of another mystical magic tour round the Nexus. She's had plenty of those.

"I'll stay here, thanks."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw Claudia pout. It's gone when she looks over.

"Very well, then. Rayla, keep an eye on the animals while I'm away - don't let them destroy anything, please. Claudia, Callum, if you want to follow me?" Lujanne inclines her head to her two students for the day, waving them after her with a sweep of her hand as she sets off further into the scenery.

Amused, Rayla watches them both toddle off after her, questions already buzzing in the air around the trio. The older mage is quickly being overrun as she attempts to answer them both at once. Rayla snorts.

_Payback's a bitch, Lujanne._

When she turns back round, she just catches the same expression on Soren's face before he aims his attention at her. Looking her up and down, he crosses his arms with a grin.

"Wanna spar?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe we're going to learn magic from a real mage!"

With exaggerated hurt, Claudia turns to Callum, a hand cradled against her chest. They're both following Lujanne along one of the long winding paths that make up the Nexus, doing their best to keep up.

"And what am I? Am I not a 'real mage'?"

Callum balks, as he should. "That's not what I mean! I mean like, _primal_ magic." He wiggles a hand in the air in some misguided effort to help explain.

As if pointedly ignoring Claudia's comment, Lujanne's too cheery voice chimes out from her place a few paces ahead of them, slowing down as they enter into a wider area.

"What makes you think _I'm_ real?" Spinning on her heel, she turns to face them both and laughs at their shocked expressions. After a beat, she answers, once again too cheery. "Don't worry, I'm real."

They follow her as she moves up onto a lifted stone section, surrounded by ruins following the spiralling designs on the ground. She waves her arms across the view now extending in front of them, and they both gape dumbly at it - more of the same silver decorations and pools as they've seen before, but on a much larger scale and surrounded by evidence of the structures that must have stood there before their time.

"This is the Moonhenge. Thousands of years ago, when Xadia was one land, ancient ancestors of Moonshadow elves performed fantastic rituals here."

Hand raising, she scribes a rune in the air so fast Claudia doesn't even get a real look at it.

"Historia Viventem."

For a second, nothing happens and Claudia and Callum share a look. They both squeal when the first illusions walk straight through them, the same glowing outlines filling the air as had appeared on the archway into the Nexus and taking the form of great structures over the remaining ruins.

Lujanne pauses as she watches the apparitions flit around the space, dancing and imitating the lives of those who stood there an unknown number of lifetimes ago. The unsettling emptiness underneath it all sits at odds with their happy movements.

"The legends say they could use the power of the Nexus to open a portal to another plane - a shimmering world beyond life and death."

"The Nether..."

It was a thought wasn't supposed to be voiced, slipping out before she can stop it, and she glances to see if Lujanne heard her. The elf quirks a brow at her, but doesn't linger on her little knowledge slip. Callum doesn't even notice, drawing the attention to him as he asks about the ruins around them.

Lujanne holds her eye for another moment, a question on her lips, but eventually redirects her focus to the only party eager for a conversation.

Callum wastes no time in filling in for Claudia's silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm just gonna say it - that was mean. Mean, and uncalled for."

Soren is sulking. Loudly. And while he might have a point about her being mean, seeing the shock on his face as he tumbled over the edge of one of the many pools into frigid water was more than worth it. She will give him some credit - they had been pretty well matched until she had weaponised the environment against him. She'd maybe even go as far as to say she'd had fun. Maybe.

"Well, you should watch where you're going next time."

"Watch where-- you kicked me in!"

She laughs, entirely unsorry. "Yea, I did."

They fall silent, Soren laying out his armour and most of the clothes he'd been wearing to dry under the heat of the Sun high above them. All he's wearing is his loose trousers, and while the view is definitely a nice one, it's not quite the one she wants.

_I wouldn't complain if the tendency to strip was a family trait..._

Flush rising up her neck at that thought, Rayla allows her gaze to drift off to the spot a little ways away, watching Ezran chase the animals around. Phoe-Phoe looks somewhat out of place, running around on two legs. In fact, Rayla can't think of a time she's _ever_ seen the phoenix run. But, they do seem to be having fun.

From their place at the top of the Caldera, the unnatural dark that clings to the mountain gives abruptly to the pressing Sun high above. Standing in the right spots, its possible to see the boundary where the dark gives way to the light - she used to wander along it when she was little, after Ethari told her she might discover a portal to a new world.

Honestly, she still hasn't forgiven him for that one.

Off to the side, the horses graze along the grass, free from the bags they're usually encumbered with. Ezran is trying to climb up on Phoe-Phoe now. She should probably stop him but it's probably fine - he's not having much success anyways.

Just as she moves off the ledge she's perched on to approach him, the sight of the group's bags catch her eye - purple straps highlighting the one belonging to Claudia amongst the others. A glance over to Soren confirms he's still distracted.

_If I'm quick, I could get some answers about Claudia..._

After a few moments warring with temptation, her curiosity trumps her conscience. One eye watching Soren, she crouches down to tug Claudia's pack from the pile, having to use a bit more force than expected to lift it.

_What the fuck is in here to make it so heavy?! I swear if it's anything too weird, I'm done._

While even she herself doesn't believe that, nerves still try to halt her motions - the last hesitation at what she might find. Flicking the pack open, Rayla lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Books. Of course. She feels just the slightest bit stupid.

The journal presented earlier to Lujanne is there, along with a few others. Random assorted magical bits and pieces are scattered throughout the pack but... truthfully, none of it looks particularly fresh - as if they'd been forgotten about and left there for who knows how long. Which, knowing Claudia, makes a lot more sense than it should.

And none of it looks powerful enough to enchant an entire camp, or drag the clouds down from the sky. Rayla might not be a dark mage, but she knows enough to know some old butterfly wings aren't going to accomplish that.

Huffing quietly in frustration, she shoves everything back in the bag. Soren is still preoccupied with his armour when she moves to join Ezran in his game.

She should really know better.

Just because she didn't catch him looking, doesn't mean he wasn't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...when the Moon is full, its light completely fills the lake."

Having reached the summit, Lujanne finishes her lecture and gazes out across the water below. Claudia and Callum move to stand by her side, leaning on the barrier surrounding the lake.

"I love this. I love learning about magic."

He has that dopey smile on his face, looking out over the distance. Claudia smiles a little, watching him. He looks so happy... It's been a while since she's saw that on him.

"But I don't want to just learn about it, I want you to show me how to _do_ some Moon magic."

He spins around to look at Lujanne, who has an odd smile on her face - half amused, half strained.

"Humans can't do magic. The stone you have is for Sky magic, not Moon magic. I can't help you."

Callum doesn't like that answer, looking down with a frown before speaking again.

"Well, that's not entirely true. Claudia doesn't need a stone."

Lujanne pauses, levelling her entire focus on Claudia for long enough to make her squirm. It was probably only a few seconds, but Lujanne has the same brand of quiet intimidation as her niece, enough to make Claudia not want to have her full attention. Not on this topic, that's for damn sure. A wave of irritation passes through her, and she glares at Callum for outing her so easily.

"And what, exactly, do you mean by that?"

Lujanne is glancing between the both of them now, waiting patiently for whichever one of them is going to cave first.

Sighing, Claudia resigns herself to this conversation - is this even something she should be sharing with someone like Lujanne? Her father had always made it clear to her that her gift was something that would not be understood easily by the elves. Even Harrow had - unknowingly - backed that stance, asking her to hide during the gala.

Thinking about them both, so mighty and untouchable, holding their children at a distance in misguided attempts to protect and hide them... it makes her blood rush in her veins, frustration high and with nowhere to be aimed.

_My father is a traitor, and Harrow is dead. I'm done doing what they want._

There are torches around the platform they stand on, unlit with the still present daylight. Lifting a hand out in front of her, Claudia closes her eyes and speaks into the quiet air.

".semalF .gnippikS .gnipaeL"

Even with her eyes still closed, Claudia can feel the other two staring at her. Callum smirking at her, smugly. And Lujanne...

Opening her eyes slowly, Claudia isn't sure what to make of the elf's expression. One hand is held to her chest as if trying to calm herself, while the other hovers frozen between them both, caught in the air like she wants to reach out and check the girl in front of her is real.

"In all my years, I've never seen anything like that. You can truly do that on command? Without using any resources to do so?"

Lujanne has recovered herself, leaning in curiously towards Claudia as she speaks.

"Since I've been nine years-old, yes."

Something sparks in Lujanne's eyes, and she considers her words before speaking again.

"And how old are you just now?"

That... is unexpected. What relevance does her age have? She debates lying, but decides against it - she's Rayla's aunt, and Rayla trusted her enough to bring them all here. Odd lines of questioning and all.

"... I'm sixteen."

"Hmm."

_"Hmm"? What does that mean?_

Lujanne is still looking at her, and she urgently wants to start squirming again.

"Is something wrong?"

With a soft shrug, Lujanne pushes herself away from the barricade and begins to walk back the way they came.

"Not at all. You and Rayla are close in age, that's all. Come now, we should start heading back. See what the others are up to, don't you think?"

Her words grow fainter, disappearing down the stone stairs along with their view of her, the tips of her horns vanishing below the edge of chiseled rock. Sharing a confused look at the strange behaviour, she hangs back for a moment as Callum dutifully treks after their whimsical guide.

Taking a deep breath to clear her head, she sweeps her gaze over the view a last time. The lake gleams brightly with the light of the Sun, but again the feeling from when they'd first entered the Nexus pricks at her skin under her clothes and draws her attention up, up higher in the sky than even the Sun.

Nothing but vast blue sky greets her, yet the feeling persists. She thinks of how Lujanne's Moon magic had felt when it passed through her - the whole area around the lake has that same unnatural sensation, layers on layers of reality stacked on top of one another.

If she were to jump into that water, would it splash?

Or would it shatter?

Eventually, Callum's voice calls out from the distance and she pulls away to follow it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Distracted as she is with their game, Rayla doesn't notice the three mages return to camp until Lujanne appears directly behind her.

"Rayla."

Considering her family are so prone to sneaking around, you'd think she'd be more accustomed to being startled but at least she manages not to shriek again like she had when woken up that morning.

The same annoyed glare does make a reappearance, however. She moves up out of the spot she'd been hiding behind, spying on Ezran as he searches around a few metres away. Amusement plays on Lujanne's face at her participating in the game, but no comment is made about it.

"Yes?"

"Fancy a stroll with your old aunt?"

Rayla raises an eyebrow in silent question - Lujanne has that twinkle in her eye again. It's as close to a warning sign of ulterior motives as she's going to get.

"You're not that old."

"Humour me."

"Okay. You're ancient."

Lujanne just grins, turning on her heel and making towards her flower garden. Rayla lags along behind her, following far enough into the garden to be out of sight - and earshot - of the others. She leans against the stone wall to one side, watching as her aunt begins to trim one of the shrubs she likes to shape - its form resembles a bird of some kind, still unfinished. Callum would probably like it. Lujanne speaks without looking at her, still clipping at the leaves with swift but precise motions.

"That girl you've brought with you is familiar, wouldn't you agree?"

"What makes you say that?"

Lujanne just gives her one of _those_ looks, the ones that see right through the appearance in front of her. "Don't play dumb with me. She looks just like the description from your dreams, does she not?"

Rayla is a little taken aback that Lujanne remembers her dreams in so much detail, feeling briefly regret at telling her so much when she was younger.

"I... Maybe? I'm not sure, nothing has changed about my dreams. You know as much as I do."

She's lying. They both know she is.

Lujanne doesn't say anything about that, though her eyes do narrow the slightest bit before she turns back to her pruning.

"She's more than I would have expected."

The blasé act her aunt is projecting isn't working so well, and a chill runs down her spine at the veiled words. "How do you mean?"

"I was curious as to why you would be on such friendly terms with a human mage, though now I see that she is something quite different indeed. Have you seen her cast her magic?"

Sighing, Rayla pushes off the wall and begins to slowly make her way over to her aunt, taking care to follow the path through the vibrant patches of flowers.

"I have, but not in any great detail. I always just seem to miss it." The conscience she'd ignored earlier finally breaks the surface, causing her to grimace. "I looked through her bag when she was away."

The shears in Lujanne's hand are placed back in their leather cover, her aunt pausing mid-motion as Rayla's words register.

"And what did you find?"

"That's it though, I didn't really find anything. Some random bits that look like they just happened to be in the bag when it was grabbed."

"Well, that explains why she looked so annoyed with her friend earlier... You don't know?"

Lujanne is still crouched down, now cleaning up the twigs and leaves she'd cut. Rayla frowns at the side of her head.

"Know what?"

An amused laugh comes from the older elf, too amused for the conversation they're currently having. She rises up, brushing off some last greenery from her robes as she aims her smirk at Rayla.

"So, when you were sneaking out in the middle of the night to go talk to her... you never once asked her about her being a mage?"

Her only answer is a deeper frown on her niece's face, and the beginnings of a flush starting to creep up her neck.

"Then, I suggest you do that. Now is as good a time as any."

When Rayla opens her mouth to argue, Lujanne waves her away with both hands and a gratuitous eye roll.

"It will be a learning experience for you. No more snooping around, you need more practice socialising with your peers."

Rayla has to hold back a scoff.

_Like you can talk..._

They hold each other's eyes for a moment, until Rayla retorts with a roll of her own and moves to stalk past her aunt back to the others.

"Ugh. Fine."

Lujanne follows her, hands innocently behind her back in the same pose she had adopted during Rayla's wake up call that morning.

"...so what did you and Claudia talk about for all that time?"

"None of your business."

Lujanne sighs, and even adds a sniffle for good measure. "I miss the days when you would tell your dear old aunt secrets."

Silence.

"I just find it interesting that you would go to all that effort to seek her out, and then not enquire about the ambler in the trees, so to speak."

More silence. They're almost back to the main area now.

"... I don't suppose her being such a pretty little thing had anything to do with that, hmm?"

Lujanne has to smother her laughter when that finally sends Rayla running.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowing down to a brisk walk as she breaches the spot where they'd camped last night, Rayla fights off the last of the blood heating her face with a grumble. Soren glances her way when she nears him, seeing her scanning over his head in favour of his sister.

"Looking for someone else?"

His grin is so smug that she almost recoils.

_What is it with everyone picking on me today?_

Not wanting to be bested again so close to fleeing her conversation with Lujanne, Rayla fixes him with a grin of her own.

"Obviously, unless you want your arse kicked again?"

He actually pouts at her, jamming a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the archives library nearby.

"She's in there."

Throwing up some finger guns to him, she jogs off towards the curved building he'd gestured at, just catching sight of him shaking his head as she moves past him fully.

During her jog over, she spots Callum and Ezran sitting together talking at one of the tables. The two animals sit huddled around Ezran, the prince almost disappearing amongst their massive forms but he doesn't seem to mind.

_If they're over there, that means Claudia is alone..._

She slows her jog as she nears the hulking doors, heartbeat picking up slightly at the thought of being alone with Claudia for the first time since she'd joined their group. Weeks have passed since they last had a truly private conversation, and now Rayla really wishes for a different topic than the one she's bringing.

Lujanne is watching her out of the corner of her eye when Rayla looks over at her.

_Well, no avoiding this one I guess._

Drawing a deep breath for added resilience, she pushes open the heavy door and enters the archives. Magic runes line the walls and ceiling, casting an eery glow over the shelves and displays without needing any other light to do so. As she steps further in, no excitable mage makes her appearance known and she calls out, now not wholly certain Soren's information was reliable.

"Claudia?"

Cold wind lashes at her arm, blowing past her and slamming the door behind her closed. The sound of the lock clicking shut echoes through the room, and instinctively one of her hands move to the hilt of a sword by her belt.

"'Will you walk into my parlour?' Said the spider to the fly."

Following Claudia's voice, she looks down through the bookshelves on her right to see the other girl approaching. By her head, a ball of light floats the same colour as the runes on the walls, lighting up the book she has open in her hands. The smirk on her face mixes interestingly with her menacing body language, lit unevenly with dark, unnatural light... and Rayla's heartbeat picks up again for an entirely different reason. Even knowing she has a dumb look on her face isn't enough to snap her out of it, Claudia drawing to a stop _just_ enough inside her to space to be too close.

(Not close enough.)

"Heard you were snooping."

It's not a question.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

That's a question. And she needs to answer. The amused green eyes looking down at her won't allow her not to.

She finally looks away, feeling embarrassed at being caught. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone through your things."

"Why did you?"

To her relief, Claudia doesn't look mad when she looks back at her. Just curious, her head doing that tilting thing again. It's still _not distracting._

"I... I need to ask you something. About your magic."

"Oh? What about it?"

"Why do I never see you using anything? Like, I know I've only actually seen you cast a couple spells, but doesn't dark magic require a lot more... preparation?"

Claudia huffs another low laugh, shutting the book in her hands as she does. Her focus falls onto the cover, finger tracing over the fancy decorations crossing over the book, an odd look on her face.

"I don't need to use anything. I'm not going to say I never have, but not for a long time now. Last time I used something... living, was about seven years ago."

She continues looking at the book, looking up after a long silence to see how that information has been absorbed. What she doesn't expect to see is Rayla, brows furrowed and one hand tightly gripping the other in some effort to shrink or hide.

"Rayla? Are you okay?"

"...seven years ago? What happened then?"

Rayla won't quite look at her, lost in thought about something that Claudia is fairly confident has less and less to do with this conversation with each passing second.

"I honestly don't know... I was practicing some spells, just incantations and stuff, and next thing I knew I'd blasted an entire window into pieces. After that, I could just... do it. On my own, no extra bits necessary."

Rayla doesn't look any more prepared to talk - if anything, she looks a little paler than she did a moment ago. Hesitantly, Claudia continues speaking, a gut feeling tugging her in an unknown direction. Hopefully, in the same direction as Rayla's appears to be.

"... I saw you, yesterday. You disappeared during the fight with that worm thing. And I'm no astronomer, but I know it wasn't a full Moon last night."

Her mark must have been true, as Rayla's hand tightens further around the arm it's holding. With a smile she hopes is comforting, Claudia leans across the space between them to gently grip Rayla's hand, tugging it away from squeezing her arm. Rayla doesn't look up until their fingers intertwine, mismatched digits fitting snugly and perfectly together. Only after their eyes meet does Claudia speak again, so soft that had there been any ambient noise at all, Rayla probably wouldn't have heard her.

"Seven years ago..?" She prompts.

Rayla laughs - a small, not-at-all mirthful sound. "Seven years ago I turned invisible in the middle of the day. I started training with my uncle a week later."

They just stand there, staring at each other as everything they've said sinks in - the loaded confessions of abilities neither of them should possess, the absurdity of it all, the undeniable common thread between their lives. All of it.

Claudia cracks first, the initial few giggles giving way as she leans in to drop her head against Rayla's tense shoulder. Rayla joins in a second later, arms coming up to hold onto Claudia as she shakes with slightly hysterical laughter that is muffled against Claudia's clothes. They quiet down after a moment, but don't move away from each other immediately.

"Now I know why Lujanne was so insistent about me coming to talk to you." Rayla's words are smothered against Claudia's shoulder, but she hears them perfectly clear.

"Yea... Callum kinda outed me to her, so I showed her."

"Showed her?"

"Lit some of the torches around the lake. Spooked her a fair bit."

"Wish I'd seen that."

They finally part, their twined fingers being the last to break apart. This time when Claudia leans in, Rayla doesn't tense. Not even as a slim finger lifts up to tap her on the nose, magic sparks arching in the air at the contact and coaxing Rayla's eyes to cross.

"I'm living proof that some humans _are_ magical."

Claudia winks at her, a soft smile on her face and a similar magic spark in her eye as she backs away towards the door without breaking their held gaze.

"Next time you have a question... just ask. And I'll answer."

Rayla can still feel where Claudia's finger tapped her nose. Can still feel her hand holding her own.

It doesn't fade for hours.

She doesn't want it to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rayla~"

Night has fallen, and they're settled down for their last sleep before moving on. And, once again, Claudia is propped up on her sleeping bag, watching Rayla across the fire. Rayla doesn't bother trying to hide her laugh this time at having her attention summoned.

"Yes, Claudia?"

"My offer still stands. You said yourself we'd be safe up here. It's warmer in here than the ground."

_Yea, I don't doubt that. It's what I'm afraid of._

Looking over at her ambitious companion, Rayla rolls her eyes when Claudia pats the spot next to her. It wouldn't be hard to turn her down. She's already done it twice now.

But the thought of calling her bluff is more appealing.

And truthfully, in a war of attrition with the mage across the camp... Rayla doesn't fancy her chances.

Claudia continues smirking innocently even as she stands up from her place by the fire. Watching it slip when she rounds the fire makes her stomach flutter, Claudia's expression giving way to one of surprise as Rayla approaches her with deliberate steps.

Her smugness is gone when Rayla stands over her, a flush already on her cheeks but unwillingly to back down.

"I give up, you win. Move over."

Rayla would be a liar if she said she didn't enjoy seeing Claudia stunned. It's a good look on her. With a dopey smile, Claudia does as she's told and moves further into her sleeping bag, holding it open for Rayla to join her.

It was one thing to call her bluff, but actually getting into bed with her? A _whole_ different thing. She takes a deep breath.

_Moonshadow elves don't feel fear._

She's committed now. There's no backing out.

Claudia is a lot warmer than she expected. And for as awkward as she can be sometimes, she quickly - and smoothly - pulls Rayla into a hug once they're both settled, a leg tucking itself between Rayla's and coming up high enough to almost make her breath catch.

Almost, thank the Spirits.

What surprises her most, however, is how well they fit together. Even her horns, often in the way at the most unusual times, don't interfere as she cuddles under Claudia's chin. A moment ago, she'd been regretting her brash choice to come over here.

Now, it's like she's never been anywhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> Lujanne seems pretty chill and indifferent to humans unlike a lot of elves, so I think she's likely to see the humour in them coming to her to help with what - right now, anyways - are human problems. When dark magic came up in the show, her reaction was a relatively demure "we do not call that practice magic". As such, I don't think she'd have a particularly violent reaction to Claudia, and especially not once she's shown that Claudia truly is different from the rest. 
> 
> Also, yes the "will you walk into my parlour?" line is a reference to the poem. I think it's rather appropriate for these two.
> 
> And as always my lovelies, kudos and comment below! Let me know what you think!


	16. The Meaning Behind Your Smiles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a complete fool, an utter moron, sitting here fucking around with Latin for the Moonshadow elves speaking to one another when there's an obvious option sitting here for me considering I've been basing them on Scottish culture and history - fucking Scots Gaelic. 🙃 So, I'm going to retcon this into the universe of this story and have the odd snippet of Gaelic in it when Rayla's talking to her fam. So, yea, bilingual Rayla hwfg! I'll add the translations into the notes at the bottom, and it won't be too much. Just some extra worldbuilding, I think it would be cool for the difference races to have their own languages. And I get to raise a little bit of awareness for a dying language ^.^
> 
> Also, I caved and started watching The Owl House and have now realised that my version of Rayla and Claudia are pretty much just Amity and Luz. ^.^' so yea, go watch that if you haven't yet it's pretty cute.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr! @shallitickleyournerdbutton 
> 
> Enjoy!

Familiar sounds of armour being clicked into place is what wakes her the next morning. No soggy assault on her person this time, thankfully.

Though, she really could do without the accompanying routine of vocal exercises and sound effects from the blond somewhere behind her. By this point, Rayla doesn't need to look over to see what Soren is doing - working through the same set of stretches as he has the previous two days, certainly.

It's oddly comforting, the consistency of their little group's actions. Even if Callum and Claudia keep doing their best to throw it off.

At least Ezran just does as he's told.

Maybe his brother should follow his lead for a change...

Claudia shifts in her arms, and rips Rayla's attention to the fact that yes, she really did get into the other girl's bed last night. They're still tangled together - not like there's really any space to move if she wanted to. She doesn't really want to. Claudia's a much softer pillow than she's used to. Long hair tickles her nose, having become mussed from Claudia rolling around as she sleeps and somehow bunching up around Rayla's face.

_Wait... why's her hair in my face..?_

Still groggy from actually getting a proper sleep, it takes her a few moments to figure out why she's breathing in hair, cracking an eye open to confirm the position they're in. No longer facing one another, she now has her arm around Claudia's waist and is cuddled against her back - the other girl having miraculously managed to find enough room to roll over at some point during the night. Even more impressive is that she was able to do it without waking Rayla.

When she adjusts slightly to try and sit up, a hand moves to grab the one around Claudia's waist tighter and keep it in place. With a sleepy grumble, Claudia shuffles further into the sleeping bag, pressing back into Rayla and removing what little separation there had been left between them both. Still half-asleep as she is, whether or not she realises exactly what bit she's just pushed against Rayla can't be certain but one thing is - _Rayla_ notices, a flush already rising on her face at feeling a shapely backside pressed against her hips.

_This is it. This is how I die; suffocated by my own blood rushing to my face too fast. What a way to go._

"Soren _shhhhhh_... Five more minutes." Voice heavy with sleep, Claudia's slight rasp is even more pronounced and it tugs pleasantly at the nerves in Rayla's stomach.

_Oh, so Claudia_ is _awake._

Rayla suddenly reconsiders being so charitable as to think that the girl in her arms wasn't aware of her snuggling and the effects it's having on her. It's a decently long list of effects, too...

She really needs to break this up before she does something embarrassing. Or worse, before _Claudia_ does something embarrassing. It feels worse to be a passive entity, somehow - the more control over this situation she has, the better.

Rayla trusts Claudia. Trusts her enough to come trespassing into the human kingdoms to help her, trusts her enough to bring her here to the Nexus, trusts her enough to sleep next to her completely vulnerable...

But she _definitely_ does not trust her right now.

Unfortunately, she took too long to make up her mind. The ground crunches unevenly nearby, heavy footsteps encroaching on them and Rayla realises the sound effects have ceased now.

_Oh no..._

Soren's boots come to a stop somewhere above their heads, his grinning face darkened by the Sun hanging above him when she glances up with one eye to look at him. In a debate about which is brighter - the sunny smile on his face, or the literal Sun by his head - she honestly isn't sure which would win.

_It's too early for this._

"Good morning, cuddlebugs. Half surprised you're both still clothed at this point."

_It's far, far too early for this._

Claudia tenses in her arms, spindly limbs coiling with frustrated strength a split second warning before she springs up out of the sleeping bag and aims a spell in her brother's direction. Soren lunges out of the way, laughing way too hard for the quiet morning and running away from a red-faced, now very awake Claudia.

Rayla doesn't even get a chance to miss the spooning, veins running cold as her aunt's amused voice cuts through the sound of the two shrieking siblings.

"I thought they looked cute."

Looking over her shoulder, she spots both Lujanne and Ezran sitting at one of the tables. They each have steaming cups of tea, looking every bit like a couple of old friends in the middle of a long-awaited gossip. At Lujanne's words, Ezran nods his head with a grin and continues blowing the top of his tea, sneaking a few more sugar cubes into his mug when Lujanne looks away. He even holds one out for Bait, the glow toad turning a nice shade of pink as he munches on it.

_Great, a bigger audience._

"What's going on?"

Callum is sitting up in his bedroll, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and gawking at Claudia and Soren with furrowed brows. Seems like he, at least, has missed all the excitement this morning. Small mercies. Soren's teasing was more than enough.

Still mostly focused on Claudia and Soren, Callum glances over at Rayla, a smirk slowly appearing on his face at seeing how flushed she looks. Before he can get a comment in, she pointedly leans over to grab one of her swords without breaking eye contact and holds it threateningly in his direction.

It works spectacularly well. The sound of his mouth snapping shut is almost enough to cheer her up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia calmed down once she almost singed Soren's hair off.

It wasn't the singeing that did it; it was the threat of what she was going to do next that finally shut him up. Something involving spiders and orifices.

Rayla stopped listening after that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia isn't the only cranky one this morning - Rayla has been trying to wrestle the saddle back onto Runaan's moonstrider but the over-sized pet is just not having it, prancing away every time she tries to strap it on. Why Lujanne even took it off in the first place is a mystery.

And, of course, there had been no offer to help her put it back on. None. Zip.

...Okay, so maybe there is one more cranky person in the camp. Her nice morning had been somewhat rudely interrupted, after all. As much as Claudia had tried to assure it would help, she does not wish to drink anything with "hot" and "brown" in the name. Or "potion", for that matter.

"You know, it might be better for her to stay here. It's not exactly like she blends in with the horses."

Turning to look at her aunt as she wanders closer, Rayla raises an eyebrow. "I rode her here and it wasn't a problem. Thought she was digging up your garden?"

"She has been. But that's neither here nor there - it is easier to be discreet when traveling alone, not so much with a party." To emphasise her words, Lujanne sends a very targeted look in the direction of the group of bickering humans packing up just out of eavesdropping distance. She lingers on Claudia long enough for Rayla to direct her attention back to the animal still trying to bolt away, like that will stop whatever is about to be said.

"You were riding with Claudia on your way here, yes?"

"Yes?"

Rayla waits, expecting a joke that doesn't come. The smile on her aunt's face is sincere, lines crinkled gently at the corners of her eyes as she moves closer to pet the moonstrider. It nudges against her hand, eager for attention, and the enigma of the animal's recent rambunctious behaviour comes closer to being solved.

Clearly, someone has been being spoiled while on holiday at the Moon Nexus. No wonder Runaan was so strict about Rayla not coddling her, if a few days of Lujanne's laissez-faire approach to life already has her this badly behaved.

After a few moments of semi-uncomfortable quiet, Lujanne's attention moves back to Rayla. Her face still sports the easy smile, though her eyes have a hardened glint in them - unamused at how slow her niece can be sometimes.

"I'm going to have to spell it out for you, aren't I?" She sighs heavily when Rayla just looks more confused, nodding purposefully at the moonstrider. "If you leave her here, you get to keep doing that. I've given you your excuse."

There's no need for her to keep talking, the insinuation behind the words is plenty enough. Rayla laughs awkwardly, rubbing the base of one of her horns as Lujanne drops a loving hand on her shoulder, half-turned to walk away.

"I like her."

Hand dropping away entirely after a last squeeze, Lujanne strolls off again leaving Rayla with some decisions to make. A goofy smile forces its way onto her face as she turns back to the saddle she'd been fiddling with, back faced towards any prying eyes.

"I like her too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Claudia, Callum, may I speak to you both for a moment?"

Claudia looks round to see Lujanne approaching, feeling Callum appear by her side at his name being called. In her hands lie two fairly large and beautifully decorated books, metal decorations reflecting the sunlight. She inclines her head to them in greeting when they meet her in the middle, smile not quite matching the whimsical expression on her face. To their surprise, she presents the books to them, one each, clasping her hands behind her back when they hesitantly accept.

"I want you each to take one of these, they contain a selection of Moon magic spells. Between the two of you and Rayla, they might be useful to have on your journey. My darling niece has always been... resistant to being my pupil. Who knows, maybe I will have better luck with the two of you." A light laugh breathes past her lips, and she shakes her head slightly in amusement at their shocked looks. "I have already been surprised by you both once and, as I'm sure you can imagine, I do not surprise easily. Consider it an investment in the future, and perhaps you may surprise me again."

Even knowing the look on her face is dumb and stupid isn't enough to remove it; to be handed such a gift in a fashion so laced with aloofness feels wrong in so many ways, that she almost turns it down. The metal decorations on the cover burn cool against her palms, and the matching dumbfounded expression on Callum's face keeps her holding on as he speaks for them both.

"Thank you! This is so cool... Though, are you sure it's okay for us to take these?"

"I'm certain. Besides," Lujanne waves a hand towards the archives, grinning in that slightly-off way that doesn't quite reach up to meet the warmth in her eyes. "I have plenty more."

The next words die on her tongue as the ground behind them crunches, Rayla appearing by their side, lilac eyes dropping to the spellbooks with a question not asked. Her attention moves up to see Claudia watching her, and for the briefest moment her ears flick with her bashful expression, bringing with it a fleeting reminder of their adrenaline-filled first meeting all those months ago and an affectionate smile in response.

Clearing her throat, Rayla straightens up to speak. "Would it be okay for me to keep riding with you? It would probably be better to stick with just horses for now."

And well, Claudia _is_ only human. One faced with an offer from the lips of the Spirits themselves.

"Yes, of course you can. That would probably be for the best," is what she says.

_"I like riding with you too,"_ is what she means.

At her easy acceptance, Rayla blows a breath. Slowly, it morphs into a smile - and here, in the realm where the power of the Moon fills the very air they breathe, she shines. Only for a second, and unnoticeably so to mortal eyes.

A pity Callum had not been surveying his Key, for maybe he would have seen it respond in kind.

Instead, the moment breaks when Rayla's attention falls to his grinning face, hand already shoving semi-playfully against his shoulder and knocking him off balance.

"What are you grinning at?"

His spellbook makes for a poor shield, not large enough to provide any real protection, but that doesn't stop him from clutching it in front of his chest as green eyes gleam over its top at his new friend.

"Nothing, you just looked happy. A real _Ray_ of sunshine."

Excluding the muffled snort from Claudia, his pun falls flat as both elves look at each other and, for once, they share a bemused resemblance. Callum dramatically wilts when they both shake their heads in disapproval, bringing his hand to his chest in a mock gesture of hurt not unlike the one Soren uses.

"That was good, maybe you elves are just judgy."

"If Claudia laughs, it's probably not a good joke." Rayla counters, smirking at Claudia's offended little scoff when she turns her focus to the suspiciously quiet mage. "So, you gonna be trying to incorporate some Moon magic into your skill set now?"

Rayla's eyes drop teasingly to the spellbook and, unwillingly to be outdone (or out-teased), Claudia copies the motion - gaze dropping to scan over Rayla. She knows she shouldn't say anything _too_ incriminating with an audience... but her mouth and brain are often not friends. And seeing Rayla's eyes widen, braced for whatever joke is about to come... it's too tempting.

And she was nice enough to set herself up, this time. Really, it's all her own fault.

"What can I say? I've had more luck with the Moon than you'd think."

Accompanying the comment is an entirely unnecessary wink, and they all know she's no longer talking simply about magic. It draws a flush to Rayla's cheeks, but even Claudia's words fail to elicit as fierce a reaction as the following line by Lujanne; a deliberate swap of tongues with purpose made clear by her niece's floundering - teasing. Or _tormenting_ , as it is sometimes referred to amongst their family.

"Dè cho 'fortanach' a tha thu a 'smaoineachadh a bhios i to dheireadh an turais seo?"

Rayla actually squeals, a hand coming up to cover her face at whatever has been said and Claudia has truly _never_ wanted to be so badly let in on a secret as she does in this moment.

"You can't say that to me! Don't say anything like that _ever again!_ "

Full, hearty laughter floats pleasantly from Lujanne's lips, shaking her shoulders and unlike the chuckling she'd done until this moment. Claudia turns to Callum, a shared look of intrigue reflected on his own face at whatever is being discussed between the elves of their party.

But from how red Rayla's face has become - almost bright enough that Callum could colour-match his scarf to her complexion - they know it's something they wish to hear indeed.

"Carson nach biodh? Bha an dithis agaibh a 'coimhead cho comhfhurtail madainn an-diugh..."

With a glare hard enough to make even the air around them shiver, Rayla stalks off towards the horses, her aunt's laughter following her stomping steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lujanne's last goodwill gesture to them all is to point them towards the hidden pathway down the other side of the mountain, saving them some time on the journey. Rayla had led them on foot to the bottom, while also dutifully guiding Claudia's horse by its reigns in lieu of its owner's missing attention. Lujanne's gift to her had proven to be something of a detriment to the group as a whole for now - between the blinding illusion on the horses and Claudia refusing to keep her eyes off the pages of her new spellbook, she had been continuously veering off the path. After the third scolding, Rayla had just decided to leave her to it and drag the horse along instead.

Neither she nor the horse were particularly happy about it, but at least they'd actually managed to cover some ground now.

Traversing the Caldera had thankfully gone smoother on the way down than on the way up, all the illusions staying in their respective lanes and not suddenly deciding to take up a mortal form and try to eat their group.

And yet, _somehow_ , Rayla had been talked into sitting in front of Claudia once they reached the bottom, now in charge of leading their horse in the mage's place.

_"You're just wanting to keep reading that book, aren't you?"_

_"Pleeeease?"_

_"Ugh, fine."_

Perhaps Claudia had utilised her womanly charm and unwavering pout to get her way, or it may be that Rayla is just weak willed.

We will never know.

After a quick crash course on how to ride a horse - with Claudia leaning over her shoulder from behind to 'instruct', and seemingly using any excuse to touch as she did so - they had now settled into a comfortable silence, following after the boys.

Every now and again, the mage would ask her something about Moon magic, the book resting against Rayla's shoulders as Claudia reads. She should probably be annoyed about being used as a book rest, but she's not. And at least she's not alone - Ezran having already sent her several exasperated looks at being used the same way by Callum.

For a ten year old, his withering stare is very impressive.

It's not until the sky begins to darken past the point of visibility required for such reading that the weight against her shoulders lifts away, replaced a short moment later by the feeling of Claudia pressing into her, arms wrapping lightly around her waist. Warm breath tickles the side of her neck, Claudia tucked in against her, snuggling and getting comfortable.

"Are we there yet?"

Whispered against her ear, Rayla has to hold off a shiver, huffing out a laugh instead and half-turning so Claudia can hear her.

"You're not one of _those_ people, are you?"

"I'm a lot of people," she sing-songs, still speaking directly into Rayla's ear. "And you didn't answer my question."

"The spot Soren mentioned should be near by now." Lifting a hand, Rayla points out something in the near distance. "That's the water we need to cross."

Claudia follows her pointing digit to the horizon, a soft gasp escaping at the view she'd been too distracted to notice herself. In the inky distance, the stars droop low, lower than even the sky, glittering across the water's surface like freckles of the Earth.

"It's like the stars are scattered on the world..."

Arms still clinging to Rayla, she leans back away from her place breathing against Rayla's neck to stare slack-jawed at the sight spread out in front of her. A breathy tone in her voice, and awed expression on her face...

The reaction tugs at something in Rayla's chest, something tight that she can't quite place, but it's wrong. Something is different about Claudia's reaction to the view, different from what she expected.

Not wanting to startle, Rayla gently clears her throat and presses back into the other girl, waiting for Claudia's attention to return her before speaking.

"...you don't get out of that castle much, do you?"

Silence sits in the space between the words, heavy as a judgment and stinging as much, until Rayla begins to regret asking anything at all. Feels Claudia sigh against her back, waiting for her to be ready to talk which, after a time, she does.

"Not really. Dad... _Father_ has always been weird about me wandering too far after..." She pauses, coughing to clear her throat and her thoughts, before continuing. "After mom... died, I think it spooked him. We used to go with Callum and Ezran, and their parents, when they'd take trips sometimes. But then Soren became a Dragonguard, and Sarai... I haven't really left the castle in years. Not like this." She laughs, short and humourless and fragile - it catches in her throat but Rayla still hears the last few words before they disappear on the wind.

"Never like this."

A ghost of a sigh brushes against Rayla's ear once again, bringing with it distant fantasies of being the one to show Claudia the world she's missing.

One day, perhaps.

Breaking her stare into the distance, Claudia tucks herself back into Rayla's neck, her arms tightening their hold and hugging Rayla to her.

Finished talking, apparently.

When she stays quiet after several moments, but doesn't pull away, Rayla shuffles the reigns to be able to hold them in one hand. The other, she lifts to place on one of Claudia's arms still gripping her waist.

"Are you okay?"

A long moment passes, just long enough for Rayla to think she's not getting a response, and then her waist is squeezed once again. For comfort, almost certainly, as Claudia's quiet voice comes again.

"...I'd never really thought about it before. It's kind of sad." She laughs again, still so fragile, and yet with an edge to it - like sharpened sugar glass, and just as unwelcome. It doesn't suit her, and Rayla wishes to scrub the sound from her mind. "Must be really quite weird to you, I bet you've seen loads of the world..."

"I suppose. Generally, it's not for the nicest reasons."

Despite Claudia's position out of eyesight, Rayla can still feel her gaze drop to the swords clipped to her belt - the only thing keeping any kind of distance between their bodies. If she were a less paranoid person, she might have taken them off and stored them away.

She's not a less paranoid person, and so they remain.

"Have you ever had to..?"

Even without the words, Rayla still knows what she's trying to ask. If anything, she's surprised it hadn't come up earlier. But then, she had _also_ avoided asking the questions she didn't know if she wanted answered.

"No, thankfully. Runaan tends to put himself in the way if it ever gets to that point. That won't last forever though, I suppose."

Already knowing she'll likely regret it, Rayla repeats the line of questioning towards Claudia, unsurprised to feel the other girl tense - this is definitely a topic best spoken about while they can't look at one another, and for that, they both thank their respective deities. Claudia's words rush out when she speaks, still as quiet as before, but clear in that she doesn't wish to have to repeat them.

"...I killed a unicorn, a few years ago."

Claudia must have felt Rayla stiffen up, as she keeps talking before the elf can respond to what she's just confessed.

"It wasn't what you think - not exactly, anyways. We heard about one being sighted, by some patrols near the castle, and my father he... he sent me and Soren to find it, to bring him its horn." She trails off again, lost in a memory, and does not notice her arms tighten further around Rayla's waist. At this point, it's a wonder Rayla has any breath left at all. And honestly, she's not sure if she does. "He said it would be a 'worldly experience' for us. And, well... orders are orders. We are just servants of the Crown, after all."

And something about that last phrase, amongst all others, gives place for Rayla to finally attribute her discomfort with Claudia's dejected tone...

Those aren't Claudia's words.

They're her _father's._

Doubtless that they were his rebuttal to any disagreement from a young Soren and Claudia when he handed them their mission, Rayla breathes deep to force away the rage in her chest - _one... two... three..._ \- only speaking once collected enough not give away her turmoil.

"How old were you?"

Claudia hums, clearly not expecting the question. Rayla can picture her doing her cute - _not_ cute - little head tilt. It makes this conversation just that tiny bit easier.

"I must have been about 12? It was a few years ago, before Soren finished his training."

_That bastard, sending his kids to do something like that..._

"Claudia?"

"Yes?"

"I really don't like your father."

That, at least, finally gets a real laugh. And if Claudia had happened to quietly agree...

Well, Rayla pretended not to hear it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Setting up camp doesn't take as long as it had the last couple nights - lacking the excitement of the Moon Nexus, they were all more eager to settle down and get some sleep.

Claudia had just about managed to coax Ezran into going to bed; the young prince had been pretty cranky from travelling all day and being used as a table by his brother. By the time she floats back over to their group, Soren and Callum have the map open and are planning their next steps - the quickest way would be to cross the water by boat, but there are two issues with that plan.

The first one is Rayla.

The second one... is also Rayla, but for an entirely different reason.

"You're telling us that you - badass elven warrior who crossed the continent on a whim - are afraid of a little _splish-splashing_?"

Rayla doesn't appreciate being laughed at, and _especially_ not by Callum.

"Yea, well nearly drowning several times'll do that to you. And besides, unless you three can pull an elf-friendly captain out of your asses, it's a moot point."

To her side, Claudia hums in thought, a finger pressed to her chin. It's decidedly not reassuring.

"Don't tell me you can spell up a boat for us?"

Claudia laughs, rolling her eyes at such a thought as if it's ridiculous. As if she doesn't often magic up impossible things for them regularly. "Unfortunately, I've yet to come across that spell. But... there might be something."

With less warning than would be polite, she taps the finger that was against her chin to Rayla's nose and bounces up to go fetch her new spellbook. She's already flicking through it when she drops down cross-legged by the fire again. Rayla shares a look with the boys, patiently waiting for Claudia to reach the end of the trail she's following.

The chance to sit and watch her work isn't unwelcome, either.

Once she finds what she's looking for, the book is flipped to show the page in question. An illusion for creating a disguise.

"What about this? If you can disguise yourself as human, hitching a ride shouldn't be a problem."

Rayla accepts the book, skimming over the spell - it's one of Lujanne's favourites, having seen her aunt use it for mischief on more than one occasion.

"Hmm... I can probably do that."

_I just don't want to. Ugh, why is it always water?_

Soren finally speaks, leaning over Rayla's arm to snoop at the page she's reading. "I have money, if you can pass for human then buying onto a ship shouldn't be an issue."

"Won't people recognise you guys?"

"Well you heard Marcos, no on knows to be looking for us. We can pass ourselves off as travelling for fun, two princes and their guards."

"Just three guards?"

"More than enough."

Soren flexes his bicep to backup his claim, and when Claudia copies him they both receive a smack from Callum.

"Don't get too cocky, we've got a long way to go still." Callum actually wags a finger at them while they pout at being scolded, and the fleeting resemblance between the siblings is as unnerving as it is amusing. "Okay, so then that's the plan. That okay with you, Rayla?"

"Not really."

"Great! We should get some sleep, I'm beat."

"Is reading really that difficult for you?"

"Just you wait, when I finally learn some Moon magic you'll be my first target.

"Whatever you say, cube boy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia decides she wants to be the big spoon that night.

Rayla reminds her that it was a one-time deal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Claudia got to be the big spoon.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> The spell for disguising Rayla is the same one Lujanne uses in season 3 to pass as a human.
> 
> Translations:  
>  **Dè cho "fortanach" a tha thu a ’smaoineachadh a bhios i ro dheireadh an turais seo?**  
>  How "lucky" do you think she will be before the end of this trip?  
>  **Carson nach biodh? Bha an dithis agaibh a ’coimhead cho comhfhurtail madainn an-diugh...**  
>  Why not? You both looked so comfortable this morning...
> 
> Feel free to kudos and comment below! I love hearing people's opinions on this story, I put a lot of work into it so it means a lot hearing from others who enjoy it too :)


	17. NOT AN UPDATE.

Hello to the few out there who are still following this story. 

I'm sorry to say, but I'm going to be putting this one on pause for a while. This pairing has pretty much died a death, and the only time I ever see anything about it is children fighting on twitter about rayllum vs raydia and I'm honestly so tired of it. It's frustrating, and immature, and annoying, and I've pretty much lost interest in both the pairing and fandom thanks to this kind of behaviour.

So, sorry to those of you who were enjoying this and following it until now. It's not necessarily the end, who knows where the show will take us and if that might inspire to me to pick it up again, but that time isn't right now. 

Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way. I won't forget about you. <3

Until next time,

Nerd Button out.


End file.
